The Hunger Games: Rewritten
by shinigamiConnections
Summary: What if Prim wasn't chosen from the bowl to start with? What if Katniss didn't play a part in the Hunger Games? This is what would happen if Alicia stepped up instead. Peeta/OC
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi guys! Yes, this is an awfully cliché story, but I wanted to write it. So I shall write it. Peeta/OC  
>Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Hunger Games, but I don't<br>Claimer: I own Alicia Fairbairn and her family. DAT ISH EET!_**

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><p>The day starts like every other for me; I rise from my bed, dress, and prepare a small breakfast for the family. My brothers rarely wake up before me; I can be up for hours on my own before anyone else stumbles out for breakfast.<p>

But today is the day of the reaping. It had the whole house on edge. As a result, once I have finished throwing the last slices of bread over the coals, I already hear someone moving from down the hall. I glance up, putting on the brightest smile I can manage this early as my brother, Leyton, hobbles over to me.

"Mornin'," He greets me sleepily, edging as close as he can to the warm fireplace. He ducks down to my height, planting a warm kiss on the top of my head. "Sleep well?" He asks, a hint of mockery in his voice.

I roll my eyes, grabbing my cup of tea and sitting on the sofa. "You know I didn't," I reply.

"Yeah. You were tossing and turning for hours," He informs me, falling down into one of our armchairs.

I glance at the floorboards beneath me; I never sleep soundly on the eve of the reaping. "Sorry," I apologize quietly, the smile dissolving from my face.

Leyton snorts, shaking his head at me as if I'm a child. "I told you not to say sorry. It's not like you were _trying_ to do it," He scolds me softly, placing his large hand on my head, messing up my hair. My hands fly to my head, trying to make myself presentable once more. Leyton and I share a small laugh, before turning to the hall as two pairs of feet start thundering towards us. I place my tea down, knowing what is about to come. I open my arms and a moment later a small body crashes against mine, two small arms are locked around my neck in a death grip. I hear a grunt from the armchair and I know that Leyton has been hit by a human missile as well.

"Good morning," I say, hugging Jace until he releases me, bobbing up and down on the sofa next to me. The reaping, to him, is always a good thing. Mostly because he has no real idea what's going on.

"Morning!" He and his twin, Taylon, reply in their sing-song way. I feel a genuine smile creep onto my face as the two giggle and jump around excitedly. "When are we gonna go to the bakery?" Taylon questions me.

I glance at the clock, before shrugging. "Well, why don't we go after breakfast?" I suggest, setting the two off on another fit of giddy squeals. I smile, watching the two start to chatter about what they want to buy.

Those two are kind of weird in that way; they're kids, and they're always finding the best in a situation. They're only 5 years old, and they're like my babies. My mom and dad aren't usually around; they work in the coal mines on the other side of the district, so the job of acting as the mother has sort of settled on my shoulders. It's quite easy when it comes to the twins, because they are so attached to me, but other two brothers don't really like the thought of being bossed around by their little sister, so they usually just go and do their own thing. Leyton is eighteen, and Stephan is seventeen; they both stopped going to school last year and started working at the Hob.

Not that I really liked the idea of my brothers working in the black market, but it helped the family a lot. Because of them, we're a lot better off than other families in the district. We always have food, and the roof over our heads and coal to keep us warm. That's more than I can do by babysitting the twins.

I grab a plate, pulling the toast from the fireplace and stacking them on it. As the smell of breakfast starts wafting through the house, our last brother appears, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. I hand him the last cup of tea and we dig in.

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><p>The streets are almost empty; we barely pass anyone on our trip into the town. It's rather unnerving, seeing the streets that usually hold crowds each day to be so deserted. I hold back a small shiver as the twins start swinging our hands in unison, the two skipping on either side of me. I wonder for a moment how anyone can be so innocent and have so much energy, before stopping outside of the Mellark bakery, the boys practically glued themselves to the window as they eyed the different cakes on display, their mouths open wide as if they are trying to take a bite.<p>

I smile at the sight, holding open the door as they dash inside, nearly knocking me over in the process.

"Sorry!" They chorus, beginning their search of the cabinets for the nicest treats they can find.

"Here for the yearly round, are you my dear?" Asks the man behind the counter; he smiles at me as we watch the two rascals dart around, squealing. This is the only time he really sees them, because it's usually myself or Stephan that picks up the bread each week. Mr Mellark is quite fond of the twins; he always loves it when little kids are in the Bakery.

"You know it," I reply, shaking my head slowly. I sniffed the air, narrowing my eyes. "What is that I smell? Some type of game, possibly?" I asked, sniffing again. I can definitely smell hints of cooked meat hidden under the scents of baked bread and pastries.

Mr Mellark smiles and winks at me. It's no secret that we were both connected to the black market, not that his wife really agrees to the backdoor trading that goes on everywhere. That must mean that she is still asleep if he's eating meat this early. "The Hawthorne boy dropped a squirrel off at the crack of dawn. He's a fair trader, that one."

"Be sure to send him my way, then," I say. I turn to the twins as they start tugging on my pants, crying for my attention. "Have you decided yet?" I ask.

"Yes!" They reply, tugging me forward and pointing through one of the cases.

I smile, straightening up as the baker fetches two small bags and places the treats inside them. He holds out the bags and my brothers take them, thanking him graciously. I drop my savings into his hand. Mellark inspects them for a moment, before looking at me. "With much to spear, would you like something for yourself?" He asks.

"You know I can't. If I did, I'd have to buy for the others as well." As Jace starts waving his arms in front of me, I pick him up, letting him latch onto my neck. "How many have you got going in this year?" I ask.

He knows what I'm talking about, and his face saddens slightly, glancing at the window to the back of the bakery. "Just two, what about your kin?"

"We've got three."

"Including you?"

"Yep."

We share a moment of solemn silence, but it's broken as the kitchen door opens. I take a step back involuntarily, watching the blonde boy breeze through, holding a large tray of bread. He dumps the loaves into the waiting basket, filling the room with a new wave of warm air.

"We should get going," I say, taking Taylon's hand. "May the odds be in your favour," I call, smiling as I back out of the bakery. We walk home, and I let the two eat half of their treats, then place them on a high shelf, out of their reach. I pour hot water into the bath and scrub the two clean, then hand them over to Leyton.

I retrieve a pale green dress from my closet –the only thing I keep at the back compartment for months at a time- and pull it on. It comes with matching little flats, which I step into. After I pin my light brown hair with shaky hands, I wander out to the kitchen.

"Who are you and what've you done with my sister?" Stephan asks, coming up and hugging me to his chest. Today he doesn't smell like burnt matches or tobacco, he smells more like soap.

"You brush up well," I tell him, assessing the crisp white shirt and dark slacks he must have dug out of our dad's things. There's a squeal and I turn to see Leyton chasing the twins into the room. I scoop up Taylon and sit him on the bench, adjusting his crooked bow tie.

He stares at me for a second before reaching up and tugging on a loose lock of hair. "You look really pretty, Sis," he comments, I smile and hug him.

"We should get going. Mom and Dad are meeting us there," Leyton says, I agree with him. It's much easier to get through the day as quickly as possible.

I pick Taylon up and carry him through the streets to the square. Children from 12 to 18 have started to be herded into groups by age, standing in silence. We find our Mom standing off to the right of the crowd, her arms folded. I do a sort of weird little skip over to her, my way of not bursting into a sprint.

"Don't you look pretty?" She comments, smiling as she takes my brother from me.

"Thanks, Mom," I say.

"Don't worry so much, Alicia. The odds are in your favour, I know they are," She says, touching my face softly. I nod, she kisses my cheek and ushers the three of us away. After signing in, I split from my brothers and stand with the other sixteen year old girls. Most of them are looking around like stunned puppies, and the few that aren't are looking completely miserable. I decide to stand next to a familiar, stony face. Katniss offers me a small smile that I return, as if we're trying to reassure not just each other, but ourselves as well, that everything will be okay.

I stare up at the stage. It's pretty bare, holding three chairs, a podium, and the two glass bowls filled with names. Mayor Undersee and District 12's escort, Effie Trinket, are talking quietly in their seats, glancing anxiously at the last chair. It's meant for Haymitch, a drunkard who survived the Hunger Games years ago, but he hasn't arrived yet.

The town clock strikes two, and Mayor Undersee steps up to the podium. He looks out at us and begins his long, boring speech about the history of Panem. You can tell that nobody is really listening, even the mayor looks like he is ready to fall asleep. It's the same speech every year, he can probably recite it in his sleep. He ends by reciting our _long_ list of past victors- two, to be exact. Haymitch is the only one still alive out of them.

Speaking of Haymitch, as his name is called, the man stumbles onto the stage, hollering unintelligible things. The crowd responds with applause, which seems to confuse him. We all realize he is extremely drunk when he tries to give Effie a hug, which she battles away from. The mayor tries to pull the attention back to the reaping by introducing the pink haired woman, and she trots over excitedly.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" She starts, smiling out at us. For another minute, she gushes about how happy she is to be here, even though you can see the almost desperation in her face. She wants a better district. I almost don't blame her.

"Ladies first!" Effie announces, I can feel everyone around me tensing as her manicured hand dives into the glass bowl. She digs around for a moment, before she pulls out a slip of paper to her liking. She crosses back to the podium, unfolding the paper and smoothing it out. She clears her throat softly before speaking loud and clear into the microphone.

"Alicia Fairbairn!" She almost cheers. My legs start to go to jelly, my mind goes blank, and my eyes very nearly pop out of my head. She called the next female tribute. She called Alicia Fairbairn.

She called my name.

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><p><em><strong>What do you think so far? You know that if you review I'll love you forever.<strong>_

_**Later!  
>-Shinigami <strong>_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello there!**_

_**I'm glad you guys seem to like the story so far, so as a treat, I'm updating really really quickly! ^-^  
><strong>_

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><p>I wait for a moment, my hand wrapped tightly around Katniss's arm as I try to regain my thoughts. It doesn't work. I have to move forward, out of the crowd. I have to stand up on stage and look out at the faces of my neighbours and friends. There is no choice for me.<p>

Step after hesitant step. It takes twenty paces before I reach the steps. Effie smiles at me cheerfully, taking my hand and pulling me up next to her. She squeezes my shoulders tightly as she asks for a round of applause for me. The district stays silent, as always. The awkwardness is saved by Haymitch, who staggers forward, holding out his hand to me.

"What a charming young lady! Charming!" He practically yells, shaking my hand. He leans against me in a half hug, and my nose wrinkles slightly at the smell of liquor on his breath. "Let's see if you can charm your way through the Games, eh?" He says, a little softer. My fake smile drops completely from my face at this. His statement, although coming from a drunken man, makes sense to me somehow. It unsettles me even more.

I have no real talent that will help me survive the Hunger Games.

Before any cameras can focus on my horrified face, Haymitch catches the spotlight once again by taking one step too far, stumbling and freefalling to the ground below. He's knocked unconscious, and he's made out district look even sillier than before, but I'm slightly grateful. By the time I'm on the screens, my poker face is secured.

"What an exciting day!" Effie exclaims, trying to get the reaping done already. "But more excitement to come! IT's time to choose our boy tribute!" She zips over to the bowl of names, holding onto her ugly pink wig. Her fingers snag the first slip they touch and she makes her way back over to the podium. After a moment, she's already calling out: "Peeta Mellark!"

Peeta Mellark. The boy from the bakery. Mr Mellark's son.

I had seen him just this morning, and now he's going to die with me? I watch as the stocky boy walks to the stage, much easier than I did, and stands next to me. He looks so calm compared to me; the only people that can really see his panicked rising and lowering of his shoulders are Effie and I.

Effie asks for volunteers to take out places, but everyone stays quite. I search the rows of boys and lock eyes with Stephan, who just shakes his head and looks away from me. Leyton won't even look at me. I feel my last beam of hope crumble and dissolve at this. Nobody is volunteering to save me.

I glance at Peeta for a moment, and see his jaw clench. He must have the same thought in his head. His older brother isn't stepping forward either. We have cowards for siblings.

The mayor starts to recite the Treaty of Treason as he is required to do each year, but I don't listen. I look my mothers way to see her trying to calm down the twins, who seem to be demanding to know why I am on stage. She doesn't look too concerned about me at the moment. I see the worried faces of my friends in the crowd, but I know they can't do anything to save me now. Not even I can.

The mayor finishes the treaty and I turn to Peeta, holding out my hand. He takes mine in his own, which is almost double in size, and gives me what I guess is meant to be a reassuring look, but it just looks pained. I try my best to queeze his hand in a comforting way before we turn back to the crowd.

The anthem of Panem plays as we're led away from the town people into the Justice building. The Mayor explains that our visitors will arrive shortly and to keep everything as quick as possible. I'm shown to a plush sitting room by two peacekeepers and left on my own.

"You were dead wrong, Mom," I whisper, holding onto the arm of one of the seats. "The odds aren't in my favour."

My family bursts into the room a few minutes later, the twins throw themselves onto me, causing us to crash into the sofa. Mom pries the two away from me and wraps me up in her arms, rubbing my back. I have to use all my will power not to cry as I sit with her. The boys still don't seem to grasp what is going to happen to their older sister, but I'm fine with that. It's not something you should have to deal with anyway.

"Promise to be good little tackers while I'm gone," I order them softly. The two nod eagerly, saluting me.

"We'll be good!" They promise, beaming at me.

I notice nobody new has said a word, and turn to my other two brothers, who look everywhere but my eyes. Mom ushers the twins out of the room, promising to return before the end of the hour. "Well?"

They look at my forehead with confusion. "Well, what?" They ask in unison.

"Well, are you happy now? Did this turn out the way you wanted?" I ask them. They don't reply, so I continue. "I hope you are, because I will be dying for your happiness now. Thank you two, really. Thank you for being such protective, loving big brothers! Thank you very much for signing my death certificate so quickly!" By the time I've finished, my voice has started rising.

"You know we don't want you to die, Ally!" Leyton spoke up.

"Really? Because you could have fooled me! How dare you stand there and pretend that you did everything possible to help me!" I walk over to them,folding my arms. "Look at me!" I demand, they slowly lift their gazes to my eyes. "You look me in the eyes right now and tell me you did everything you could!"

"We don't even know if we would have been allowed to take you place," Leyton mutters.

I scowl. "Yes, because it would have been such a long and tedious task to just see what they said!"

"It wasn't as simple as putting our hand up for you, Alicia," Stephan growls. "So you really think that loosing a source of income will help the family in any way?"

"So because you have a job your life means more?" I ask incredolously.

"If does right now!" He shouts. I slam my hands into his chest, pushing him away from me, against the wall.

"Get out! Get out of here right now! How dare you call yourself my brother!" I yell back, tears blurring my vision. "You go back to your work and make yourself a living, because when I come back from the Games with loads of money and food, you bet your sorry ass I'm not giving any to you!"

Stephan makes to lunge at me, but Leyton jumps between us, holding him back. I bare my teeth at Stephan like some sort of animal as the two peacekeepers from before burst into the room, dragging my brother out. "I hope you die! I hope you don't even get the chance to hide before they kill you!" He shouts as they pull him away.

Leyton breaths heavily, shaking his head. "Stephan took this too far. We were just as scared as you… Sorry, Ally, I'm really sorry," He mutters, hugging me tightly before leaving the room.

I huff, kicking the wall and sitting down. To my surprise, though, my next visitor ducks through the door only a moment later. "Katniss!" I exclaim.

"Hey, what was that about?" She asks, looking around the room as we sit next to each other on the sofa. I watch her hands run along the fabric and smile slightly.

"It's nothing to worry about now," I reply, shaking my head. "Family stuff."

"Ah…" She murmurs, nodding. I wonder for a moment why exactly she even came to see me. We aren't exactly good friends. We have classes together and occasionally trade game and herbs, but nothing very special. But right now, I enjoy her company very much.

"Thanks for coming to see me," I say.

Katniss watches me for a second, then nods. "No problem. Though I'm not too sure why I did…"

I shrug, not bothered. "You're here now, that's what matters."

We sit and talk for a good ten minutes before the peacekeepers tell us her time is up. Katniss hugs me hesitantly and wishes me luck before leaving the room. After a moment, Mom and the twins come back inside. Jace walks up to me, something in his hands. "Ally, we got you something to take with you on your trip," He says softly.

"You did?" I breath, pulling him up onto my lap. He told out his two hands, placing a small necklace in my hand. It's a plain silver chain with a circular locket dangling off it. I pop the locket open and my eyes water. Inside holds two small photos, one of the whole family sitting togther, and the other of me lying with the twins on my stomach.

"It's so that you remember to come back for us. You're gonna come back for us, right, Ally?" He asks, his voice wobbling. I guess Mom must have tried explaining to them that I might not be returning to them. "You've gotta come back to us, Ally. We need you. Promise that you'll come home," He blubbers, tears falling down his rosy little cheeks. I wipe them away with my thumb nodding.

"I promise, Jace, I promise." I kiss his forehead and he falls into my shoud, crying. Taylon crawls onto the sofa as well and start crying as well.

Now I know that I have to try my hardest to make it out alive.

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><p>The station is swarming with cameras and microphones, all focused our way. Peeta has puffy red eyes so it's obvious he's been crying, which makes me kid of confused. Of course it's hard saying goodbye to people for what could the the last time, but why would you display it so openly? Maybe it's a strategy. I remember it working once for someone else. A girl from District 7, I think.<p>

We stand at the doors of the train for a few minutes as cameras flash unyeildingly at us, before the doors finally close and we're left alone as the train starts up. It takes my breath away to begin with, and I grab onto Peeta's arm reflexively as I try to regain my footing. He stares at me, confused. "Are you okay?" He asks, I nod.

"Yeah, sorry," I apologize, letting go of him as I turn red. I don't do well with boys, good looking or otherwise. The fact that I might have to kill this one doesn't really help settle me, though.

Effie shows me to my compartment and assigns me free reign on the place, with the one condition that I show up for supper in an hour.  
>As soon as she leaves, I strip down and take one of the longest showers I've ever had. I eventually step out and find a plain grey shirt and loose but comfortable green pants, and change into them.<p>

Before I know it, Effie comes to collect me once more, leading me down the narrow hallways to a polished panel room with a large dinner set on the table in the middle. Peeta is sitting on one side, watching us.

"Where's Haymitch?" Effie questions, not sounding too concerned about the man's dissapearance.

"Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap," says Peeta.

"Well, it's been and exhausting day," Effie sighs, motioning for me to take the seat next to Peeta Mellark. As soon as Effie sits down, I begin to dig in, ignoring her warnings to save space for more to come. "At least you two have decent manners. The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

I make a face. Many of the people in District 12 are starving, chances are those kids had been, too. If I hadn't seen a decent meal for god knows how long, I wouldn't have bothered to even think about table manners.

"Really? Did they eat sort of like this?" I ask, grabbing a piece of meat from my plate. I dunk the entire thing into a pot of gravy next to me, so far that the tips of my fingers are covered with the grazy, too. I pull the meat out and bit off half of it, chewing for a moment before devouring the rest, licking my fingers before standing up. Effie and Peeta finish soon after, and we sit in the next room and watch the recap of each reaping. I try to focuse on the other tributes, to try and find out who I should look out for, but I just can't concerntrate on the reaping while my mind is still back in the room of the Justice building with Stephan.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation, a lot about televised behaviour," Effie comments when the re-runs end.

Peeta starts laughing, surprisingly. "He was drunk. He's drunk every year."

I snort unattractively, nodding in agreement with the boy while clapping a hand over my mouth. I never had one of those girlish, cute laughs that you see on the television of old shows where the girl and boy meet, fall in love, and get married. Leyton once said it reminded him of a cross between a hippo and a dying elephant, which was quite the self condidence killer, if I may say so.

"How odd you two find it amsuing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsers, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!"

Well, shit.

As if knowing we've been talking about him, Haymitch staggers into the compartment. "I miss supper?" He asks, slurred and swaying. Then he turns his head and vomits over the plush carpet beneth our feet. I jump back, making a face.

"So laugh away!" says Effie. She hops around the vomit and skips from the room.

Peeta and I stand, watching our oh-so-capable mentor try to get up by himself. My outlook on these games is getting glumer and glumer by the second. The smell of vomit makes me feel ill, and I work hard to keep my dinner in my stomach. He's all we've got to keep alive. That isn't to reassuring.

"I tripped?" Haymitch asks. I groan and walk over, grabbing one of his arms while Peeta takes the other. "Smells bad," the drunk comments, accidently smearing more vomit on his face when he wipes his nose.

"Let's get you back to your room," says Peeta. "Clean you up a bit."

There's a difference between carrying around two five year olds and dragging a fully grown man through a train, I'll tell you that. By the time we reach his compartent, my arms hurt and I try to conspicuosly strech them while we dump him in the bathtub. Peeta turns the water on him, but Haymitch doesn't even register it.

I turn, looking around the bathroom for something to help. I find a small bottle of shampoo and snatch it up, unscrewing the top and pouring a quarter of the contents onto Haymitch's head. My fingers dart into his hair, massaging the lotion through while being extremely thankful that he had little to no vomit in his hair.

"I can take it from here," Peeta says to me, moving forward.

I look at him, still working on the man. "Are you sure? I've raised two extremely messy kids. I'm sure I can handle it."

Peeta looks over at Haymitch, before glancing at me again with his eyebrow raised. I glance at the blubbering, barely concious man and make a face. I don't exactly find the job of striping him, washing him and putting him to bed a good one, but leaving it to Peeta seems kind of mean. I wash out the shampoo and stand up, drying my hands on a nearby towel.

"Alright. I see your point. I'll send one of the Capitol people in to help.."

Peeta shakes his head. "No, I don't want them."

I nod, turning and leaving the bathroom as he starts to work on the drunkard. I feel slightly bad for leaving the job up to Peeta, but I don't see why he won't use the Capitol people as servants. I shake it off and return to my compartment, pulling off the fancy clothes and finding a suitable nightgown to wear before crawling into bed. I lie there for a while, staring up at the ceiling, before flipping onto my stomach. I pull off the chain from my neck, popping the locket open and staring at the faces of my family.

After a few minutes I strech my hearing as much as possible, and it sounds like everyone is asleep. I plant my face in the fluffy pillows and allow myself time to cry all the tears I held back in the Justice building.

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><p>"Up, up, up! It's going to be a big, big, big day!"<p>

I groan, pulling the covers over my head as Effie Trinket's voice and knocking pulls me from the bliss of sleep. "Go away, let me sleep!"

"Now, now! We can't have you running behind schedule, can we? Up, up, up!" She calls. I know she won't be going anywhere until I do as I'm told, so I relent and get out of the cozy bed. I take a quick shower, scrubbing the tear stains off my face, then dress in a simple white button up and then same green pants from yesterday.

When I walk into the dining car, Haymitch and Peeta are seated at the table with grins on their faces. Effie breezes past me, mumbling obscenties and sipping on her coffee.

"Sit down! Sit down!" Haymitch says, waving me over. I take a seat next to him, eyeing the large plate of food that is placed in front of me. I took one of the cups from the table and assessed the brown liquid.

"They call it hot 's good," Peeta comments, watching me stare at it. I nodded, taking a sip of the warm brown liquid, my eyes widening.

"It's wonderful!" I exclaim, my voice echoing in the cup. I drain the rest of my cup quickly enough, then stick to eating a few slices of toast before turning to Haymitch. "So if you're our mentor, are you going to give us any advice for the games?"

"Here's some advice. Stay alive." Haymitch seems to think that this is the funniest thing on the Earth because he bursts out laughing.

I look at Peeta, he's frowning deeply. "That's very funny," He says. Suddenly his hand lashes out and knocks the glass from Haymitch's hand. It shatters on the floor, the red liquid starts running down the back of the train. "Only not to us." I glance at the scattered glass worriedly, regretting not putting any shoes on before I left the compartment.

Haymitch seems to think about what Peeta has said for a moment, before punching the blond in the jaw. The man turns to grab his spirits, but I've already snatched it away from him; I hold my knife at the ready, in case he lunges at me.

"Well, what's this?" He asks himself. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"

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><p><em><strong>Ohhh! Har-har, what do you think of that? I do have a question for you guys though. Do you think that Alicia will now be the girl on fire? Or should I try to come up with something else?<strong>_

_**To The lovely, lovely reviewers!**_

_**DesignerPhoenix: Oh my gosh, you picked up on the Mortal Instruments reference? I LOVE YOU! Internet cookie for being the first reviewer! (::)**_

_**Temedward4life18878: Your wish is my command**_

_**AdelphiBahana: Really? I'm glad you seem to like this! ^-^**_

_**MaygenLynn: Yes ma'am! And thank you!**_

_**Anon: Good! I love your name, by the way**_

_**Open-heart: Yes, she does know Peeta, though not too well. I'm planning for him to have feelings for Alicia, as she's taken Katniss's place in his life, though the bread scene still happened, it just didn't mean such a tremendous thing.**_

_**Cupcakelover56: I don't like how Katniss seems to take Peeta for granted, either, though I still quite like her as a character. Thank you for reviewing!**_

_**Leevy: Thanks ^-^**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_OHAI THERE! I'm updating unexpectedly fast on this story, for some reason o.o_**

******_Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, feel free to send in ideas to help the story  
><em>**

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><p>Peeta picks himself up off the floor and grabs some ice from under the fruit tureen, raising it to his injured jaw.<p>

"No," says Haymitch, stoping him. "Let the bruise show. The audience will think you've mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it to the arena."

"That's against the rules."

"Only if they catch you. That bruise will say you fought, you weren't caught, even better," Haymitch infroms him. I see his point. It's a good strategy for getting people's attention. He turns to me. "You hold that knife like you know how to use one… do you?"

I think back through my life. Our father made me train with different household weapons once I turned thirteen. He was convinced the the Capitol would start trying to kidnap children for experiments and demanded that I knew how to use a weapon. My father is somewhat of a conspiracy theorist, of course. And I know how to fight, but that's just because of my brothers and a few schoolyard bullies. No proper training.

"Fairly well," I reply, nodding.

"Stand over here. Both of you," Haymitch instructs us, nodding to the middle of the room. We obey and he circles us, poking and prodding us, examining the muscles in our legs and arms. At one point he grabs my face in his hands, rolling it around, assessing my neck and jaw. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem pretty fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough."

He takes a step back, sighing. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," He says. "But you'll have to do exactly what I say."

"Fine," says Peeta.

"Alright. What if-,"

Haymitch holds up a finger. "One thing at a time. Ine a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put into the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," says Haymitch.

He takes the bottle of spirits from me and turns to leave the car, then pauses, turning back to us. "And who the hell did this to my hair? It's so damn soft!" He complains. Peeta and I look at each other, holding back grins as he leaves.

As the door swings shut, the car goes dark. I panic for a moment, then sigh. I figure we must be in the tunnel that takes you the Capitol though the mountains. Before I can start imagining horrible ways that our train could crash and burn and kill us, we're out of the tunnel and the sunlight is blinding me.

Peeta and I run to the window to see the Capitol for the first time in person. It's just as grand as I imagined, citzens walking below us with crazy hairstyles and fashions. They notice the train and stop to watch, a lot of them waving happily at us. Peeta starts waving and smiling in return to the people, before catching my confused stare. "Who knows?" He says. "One of them may be rich."

"That's actually really smart," I comment, he gives me a small grin and I rush to the other window and wave happily to the people. I may hate the majority of the Capitol, but they don't need to know that. Not until after the Games.

The train soon pulls into the station, blocking us from their view. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the new wave of paparazzi.

* * *

><p>"Ouch!" I yelped as more hair was plucked from my eyebrows. Flavius apologizes as he continues to pull the small hairs from my face, my eyes sting slightly but I keep quiet.<p>

"There, there," Soothes Venia, a woman with aqua hair that was previously working on my legs –which, to be honest, weren't that hairy to start with- as she flits around the room.

"You've done quite well, dear," Says Flavius as he pulls away from me, smiling as he applies a fresh coat of purple lipstick to his mouth. "That's been the only time you've made a sound. At least you look like a human being now."

The three circle me with tweezers as soon as I rise from the chair, ready to pluck any remaining hair from my body. "It seems our work is done!" Cries Octavia, patting my bare bottom affectionately as they all complete their orbit around my naked self.

"She's just like a little doll!" Venia squeals

"Let's bring in Cinna!" The three bounce out of the room, leaving me standing there naked. I know it's probably pointless to put the thin robe back on, as Cinna will probably just tell me to take it off again, so I decide to try and cover myself by folding my arms and placing one of my legs in front of the other.

The door opens and a man walks in. I blink, surprised at how young and natural he looks compared to my prep team. The only thing about him that seems artificial is some light gold eyeliner on his bottom lids. He's quite handsome, in a down to earth, none-Capitol way.

"Hello, Alicia. I'm Cinna, your stylist," he introduces himself softly.

I nod to the man, trying for a smile. "Hello."

"Just give me a moment, alright?" he instructs. Cinna begins to circle me in a manner similar to the others, but he seems less like he's about to lunge at me with a par of tweezers. The only time he touches me is to unfold my arms, placing them at my sides. He stops in front of me, grabbing the pins in my hair and pulling them out, I feel my hair fall loose and tickle my neck and back. "Alright, I know what I'm working with now. Why don't you put on your robe and we'll have a chat."

I gladly pull the robe on and wander after him through a door into as sitting room. I'm instantly fascinated by the glass wall, giving a lovely view of the city, it takes Cinna's polite cough to draw my attention back to the man. He invites me to sit on one of plush red couches, taking a seat on the other. He pushes a button and lunch appears from the coffee table. I take a small plate and dump some of the chicken, white grain and creamy sauce onto it before sitting back, eating slowly as Cinna begins to talk.

"So, Alicia, about your costume for the opening ceremony. My partner, Portia, is your fellow tribute's stylist. And our current though is to dress you in complementary costumes," He tells me. "As you know, it's customary to reflect the flavour of the district."

I make a face, remembering the outfits the past tributes were forced to wear. "You aren't going to make us dress up as coal miners like last time, are you?" I ask tentatively.

"Not exactly. You see, Portia and I think that the coal miner things very overdone. Noone will remember you in that. And we both see it as our job to make the District 12 tributes unforgettable. So rather than focus on the coal mining itself, we're going to focus on the coal. And what do we do with coal? We burn it."

I swallow a piece of chicken hesitantly. "You're gonna set me on fire?"

* * *

><p>A few hours later I'm standing in what could just kill me before the games even start. "It's not real flames, of course, just a little synthetic fire Portia and I came up with. You'll be perfectly safe," he says as I stand on my toes, looking around nervously for my fellow tribute. I've been decked out in a black leather unitard, lace up boots and a cape of orange, yellow and red with a matching headpiece.<p>

I play with my hair, most of it pulled back into a loose bun, until Cinna gives me a warning look and I drop my hands. "Your hair is fine, stop playing with it. You're now Alicia, the girl who was on fire."

"You're quite the madman, aren't you?" I mutter, though I have to admit the name is kind of nice.

Peeta appears soon enough, accompanied by Portia and her team. He stands next to me, and I sigh with relief when I notice he's wearing an identical outfit to mine. We're taken down to the bottom level of the Remake Center, which turns out to be a giant stable. The opening ceremonies are about to start, and we're loaded onto our chariot, puled by four coal black horses. Cinna and Portia move us around until they're satisfied with our posture and outfits before moving off to talk in whispers.

"So what do you think about the whole, 'Let's set these kids on fire' idea?" I ask Peeta quietly, trying not to look too nervous.

"I'll rip off your cape if you'll rip off mine," He replies through gritted teeth.

A small laugh escapes me. "Deal," I agree.

"Where's Haymitch? Isn't he supposed to protect us from being harmed before the Games start?" He askes.

I shrug. "Not sure, but I don't think that it's a good idea to have him anywhere near an open flame- synthetic or not. Alcohol is highly flammable."

Peeta suddenly bursts out laughing, and I smother my giggle-snorts with my hand. The opening music begins to play, and we become serious once more. One by one, the tributes of other districts being their ride into the city.

Cinna appears whith a lighted torch as the Ditrict 11 tributes are rolling out. "Here we go then," He says, then sets our capes on fire. I cringe, waiting for the feeling of heat melting the leather on my back and burning my skin, but it doesn't come. All I feel is a small tickling sensation. Cinna climbs up the chariot and lights our headdresses, before sighing in relief. "It works."

He climbs off the chariot, patting my hand as he does. "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!"

Just as the chariot begins to slowly roll forward, Cinna shouts something at us, making gestures I don't understand. "What's he saying?" I ask Peeta worriedly.

"I think he said to hold hands," He replies as we leave the safety of the stable, I nod and grab his hand while the crowd watches us with audible gasps.

The alarm wuickly turns to cheers and shouts of "Districts Twelve!" as we continue our journey forward. I tilt my chin a bit higher, staring out into the crowd with a wide grin as Cinna's advise plays in my head. I try not to seem like a giddy little child, but I can't help but wave to the crowd and throw them my best smiles. Soon enough, they're loving us, shouting our names, throwing flowers. I catch one and smell it, before tossing it back to the crowd with a kiss.

I know I won't be forgotten. I am the girl on fire. Surely they will want to see what I racket I can cause now.

The twelve chariots fill City Circle. Every window of the surrounding buildings is filled with people staring down at us. The music ends with a flourish and the applause begins to die down. I don't let go of Peeta's hand yet, though. If I do, I fear that I'll topple out of the chariot and loose my image.

The President Snow, a small, thin man with stark white hair, gives an offical welcome from the balcony above us, in his mansion. I can see the screens playing what Panem will be seeing at him, cutscenes of each other the tributes as the president talks. As the sky grows darker, however, it's hard for even me to keep concerntrated on what he's saying when the district 12 chariot flashes on to the screen.

The speech ends and the chariots parade around the circle a final time before dissapearing into the Training Center. We're engulfed by prep teams the moment the doors close, and I feel my legs going weak.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I warn the team, who all take a step away from me. I slowly untangled my hand from Peeta's and Cinna helps us down from the chariot. As soon as my headdress and cape have been removed I feel my legs fold in and plop down on the ground, sighing.

"You did well," Peeta says, smiling down at me. "Thanks for keeping hold of me. I was getting a little shaky there."

I smile softly, he was solid as a rock the whole time. "Anytime."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Phew, that's done now. What do you think? <strong>_

_**To teh reviewers!**_

_**Cupcakelover56: I know right? Cinna was so beautiful TT_TT I wanted to sort of show the flip side in this. Instead of an older sibling stepping up and taking their little sisters place, I sort of wanted to show how scared they got that they couldn't volunteer for Alicia, but I personally would have been angrier with my brother if he let me go into the games... I'm definetly trying to make Alicia more appreciative of Peeta then Katniss. Oh my god! I loved how awkward you ended that with .**_

_**Peeta: Yay!**_

_**x D O L L F A C E: Thank you very much :3**_

_**Reviews make the world go 'round! (and this story continue)**_

_**-Shinigami **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello there lovlies! Here we go!**_

* * *

><p>The Training Center is basically a building designed for the tributes and their teams in the Hunger Games. They don't really use it for any other purpose. It serves as the home for all of the teams until the Games begin. An entire floor is allocated for each district.<p>

I step into an elevator for the first time with Effie Trinket, Haymitch and Peeta. I stand to the side and stare at the small compartment with fascination. The walls have mirrors and gold hand rails, and the carpet under my feet is a vibrant red. Effie presses '12' and the elevator immediately shoots up, and I have to contain a squeal of excitement. The ride, however, is over in a few short seconds before the doors open. I don't like sounding like a giddy little child, but I can't help myself.

"Can we go again?" I ask Effie.

"No," she deadpans, giving me a frown and stepping off the elevator. Haymitch obviously thinks that my pout is hilarious, because he bursts out laughing ans pushes me off the elevator after the woman.

Effie's duties didn't seem to conclude at the station. She and Haymitch will be our overseers right into the arena. It's good because I now know that we won't miss a thing, but the idea of having Effie around to make sure that everything I do is correct makes a shiver run down my spine. There's only so much of the woman that you can take before you snap.

"I've been very mysterious with the sponsers, though," she says, continuing to tell us about her day of trying to sell us to the crowds of people. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How you've both successfully overcome the barbarism of your district."

"Well, that's kind of hypocritical, seeing as you people are waiting for us to kill each other," I reply.

Effie ignores me, but her voice has become a little sharper. "Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'" She beams at us like she has just explained the meaning to life.

I hope for our sake the people of Capitol are as dumb as she can be. Either that or they just really don't care about it.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," Effie infroms us grimly. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary." Well, you have to admire her determination.

* * *

><p>My quarters are huge. Ridiculously so. It's sort of like an expanded version of the train car, except everywhere I looked there was a button to push, making some wonderful new thing happen. The shower alone sets me off like a kid in a candy shop (an experience I was lucky enough to hhave once in my childhood by selling one of my grandmothers earrings); There's at least one hundred different buttons that leave me smelling glorious.<p>

I scan through the catalouge before finally finding an outfit I like, the closet doors open and there is the plain black pyjama bottoms and white tank top that I asked for. I hide a squeal and slip them on, before grabbing a pair of elaboratly made boots with too many buckles to be senseable. But I like the look of them and decide to have some fun while I'm alive, so I pull them on and do them up. I entertain myself by trying to figure out every button in my quarters until Effie knocks on the door, calling me to dinner.

Good, because I'm famished.

Peeta, Cinna and Portia are standing out on a balcony when we enter the dining room. I hear Haymitch will be joining us and rush to Cinna's side, taking comfort that I won't be stuck with the two non-adults and Peeta for once.

Haymitch shows up as dinner is being served. I blink, surprised. "You look…"

"Clean…" Peeta finishes for me. We both watch him for a moment, it's obvious he's ignoring our comment. He starts on his soup, and I'm pretty sure it's the first thing I've seen enter his mouth that wasn't alcoholic.

The stylists, Haymitch and Effie make decent small talk through the meal. I watch Peeta from across the table while I eat my soup. I have no idea what his angle is in these games. It's obvious that he is smart enough to survive, as he seems to already be fighting. Since we got on the train, maybe even before that.

A red head girl that has been serving us through the meal places a large flaming cake in the middle of the table. I turn my head and watch her flatten out her white tunic, catching her eye when she looks up. "Thank you," I say, smiling at her. I may as well try to be nice to people while I'm still alive.

I don't know why, but I expect her to say something in return. He mouth twitches, like she wants to say something, but she just nods sharply and turns, rushing away. "Um, Effie?" I say, pulling the conversation my way. "Those people in white… Are they not allowed to talk to us?" I ask, Cinna and Portia exchange a look with Haymitch.

"Well, it's not that simple, Alicia," She replies. "Why would you want to talk with an Avox, anyway?" She askes me. "Unless you want to give them an order, that is."

"What's an Avox? Is that what the Capitol calls servants?"

"Somone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," says Haymitch. "She's probably a traitor of some sort."

"They cut her _tongue_?" I repeat, making a horrifed face. "But I guess this really shouldn't surprise me, seeing as this is a city of people that watch kids murder each other for entertainment."

Peeta seems to want to change the subject. "What makes the cake burn? Is it alcohol?" He askes, changing the energy to a more relaxed one.

"Yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off now. I ordered it specially in honor of your fiery debut," Cinna announces proudly.

We all eat our slices of cake before retiring to the sitting room. The replay of the opening ceremony is being broadcasted. A few of the other couples look quite nice but even the modest of people would have to admit they look good when placed in our outfits.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" asks Haymitch.

Portia speaks up. "Cinna's."

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch. "Very nice."

Rebellion? I almost have to ask what they mean, but then I catch on. We were the only tributes holding hands, showing friendship instead of indifference. The others barely acknowledged one another, whereas I was holding onto Peeta like a lifeline. Such a simple little act seemed so dinstinguishing now that I notice it, it stood out in the ceremony almost as much as our outfits did.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," says Haymitch, turning to Peeta and I. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

Peeta and I walk down the corridor to our rooms. When we get to my door, I pause, turning to the blonde. "I don't know about you, but even if there's training in the morning, I'm not quite ready to go to bed yet, you?" Alright, I actually am kind of tired, but like hell I want to be left alone with my thoughts longer than I have to.

He smiles slowly at me, shrugging. "Have you been up on the roof yet? Cinna showed me. The wind's kind of loud, but you can see the whole city."

"Sure," I agree. I follow him up the flight of stairs that lead to the roof. The evening air is cold and windy but I find the peace of it all quite relaxing. Cars drive throught he streets below us, and quite a few people are still walking around, occasionally shouting something. I try to imagine how my parents were dealing with their new jobs of putting the twins to bed. They had never been the best at keeping the boys in their beds. I had unlocked the answer to keeping them in check and I never thought something would happen that would make me unable to tuck the boys in and kiss their foreheads.

"I asked Cinna why the let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" Says Peeta.

"What'd he say?"

"You can't," He replies. He holds out his hand into the seemingly empty space. There's a zap and he jerks back. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

"Do you think that they're watching us? Incase there's a paticularly suicidal tribute that likes late night jumps to the ground."

Peeta lets out a short laugh. "Possibly. But I have nothing to hide…do you?" He asks in a teasing manner. I shrug, rubbing my bare arms. The air has become extremely cold, making me shiver. Peeta notices and nods towards a few seats inside the dome. "Why don't we try inside? Don't want you catching a cold before the Games," He suggests, I nod.

"Alright…" We fall onto opposite sides of the bench, looking out to the night sky. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, before I speak up. "What do you think about those Avox people? That girl couldn't be a day over 18 and yet she's probably been tortured."

Peeta nods in understanding. "I can't say that I like it, or approve of it, but we don't know what it is that she did. But enough of that. Those brothers of yours, how old are they?" He asks.

I smile, filldling with my locket. "They're turned five not too long ago."

"Whenever I see you with them you always seem so peaceful," He mutters. I turn my head, quirking an eyebrow; sure, I have always seen Peeta occasionally on the streets or at school, and of course during my visits to the bakery, but I didn't think he had even looked my way more than twice while I had the kids with me.

"I didn't realise you've seen so much of me," I mutter, embarrassed.

Peeta shrugs my awkward comment off. "It's hard not to notice you, you smile more than most people in the district, even if it's not a happy smile."

I feel my face split into a huge grin. "I guess I kind of do."

Peeta gives me a smile before looking up at the sky, where the moon is already high and bright. "I guess we should probably head inside. Even if we aren't tired, it's probably best not to be caught up here in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, okay," I agree, standing up reluctantly from the chair. We head inside and Peeta drops me off at my quarters again, yawn and wish him sweet dreams before entering, ready to fall onto my bed. I pause, though, as I watch the red head Avox from before collect my discarded clothes from the ground.

"Oh! It's you!" I say, surprised. I'm about to say more, when I remember that people aren't really meant to talk to them, and chances are someone is listening into every room on the floor. I walk towards her, trying to seem as if I don't want to strike up any conversation not including an order. "Can you help me with my boots? I don't know why I chose such silly things…" I say, trying to make my request sound more like an order.

The Avox nods her head, walking over to the bed where I had sitten down on. While we're working on the buckles I turn my head towards her slightly. "Listen, I'm sorry if I made you feel a little awkward at dinner. I didn't know…" She doesn't reply, but pulls the boot slowly off my foot, before removing the other and placing them back in my closet. She gathers her things and turns to the door, turning her head a little before leaving.

I crawl under the covers, burrowing into my pillows and smiling slightly. Peeta is actually a really nice guy, I realise as my eyes slid shut slowly, any girl would be lucky to have him.

It's too bad the odds are he'll die by the end of the month.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Heh...I don't really know why I did that, but whatever.<strong>_

**__DesignerPhoenix: Haha! Don't be jelly, I have no idea how I even got one review, to be honest with you. But if this helps at all... EVERYBODY! GO VISIT HER PROFILE AND READ HER FANFICS FOR ME! ALRIGHT? NAOW! There you go! I hope someone reads that and does what I ask. ^-^**

**x D O L L F A C E: Yeah, I see where you're coming from. I'd be hanging onto Peeta for dear life if I was a tribute with him -.- Oh well, what can you do?**

**caramellachoco: ssssank you! Yes, I sort of based the boys off the two kids I babysit. Little kids are so cute! But please don't hang them on your wall! :O I'm not quite sure if Alicia will pair up with Rue. She'll definetly kill people, but probably in a different manner/circumstance. You loaf her? Heehee, I see what you did there. She loaves you too!**

**Cupcakelover56: Cinna IS hot.. heehee! you're awkwardness makes me smile**

**Reviews equal love!**

**-Shinigami**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ohh! I'm back! So here we go!**

* * *

><p>I wake up a little while after dawn breaks, taking an extremely long, luxurious shower before dressing in the tight black pants and burgandy tunic that has been laid out for me. I pull on the leather shoes waiting by my bed and prance out to the dining room, oddly cheerful and awakened, but also starving.<p>

A young Avox man is standing by a long board off to the side of the dining table, holding the breakfast foods availble. I ask if I can serve myself and he nods in confirmation. I grab a plate and pile it with sasuages, toast, bacon and mangos, before grabbing a glass of milk and sitting down, letting myself indulge in the breakfast as I watch the sun rise over Capitol. Peeta and Haymitch wander in while I'm refilling my plate, and bid me good morning. I can't say I'm excited about the training session today, but I'm at least pumped to get it over with. There will be two more days after this that we train with the other tributes, before the last afternoon, where we preform in front of the Gamemakers.

When Haymitch has finished several platters of stew, he pushes his plate away with a sigh. "So, let's get down to business. Training," He says, taking a drink from a flask he pulls from his pocket. "First off, if you like, I'll coach you seperately. Decide now."

"Why would you bother coaching us seperately? Wouldn't that just take more time?" I wonder.

"Say if you had a secret skil you might not want the other to know about," He explains.

Peeta and I exchange a look. "I don't have any secret skills," he says. "You?"

I snort softly. "I've got nothing up my sleeves. You can coach us together," I tell Haymitch, Peeta nods in confirmation.

"Alright, so give me some idea of what you can do," Haymitch requests.

"I can't do anything," says Peeta. "Unless you count baking bread."

"Sorry, I don't. Alicia, you said you're fair with a knife."

I nod, then shake my head. "No. Well, yeah, but not as good as most of the others. My dad just made me practice using things as weapons because he was convinced the Capitol was gonna start stealing children."

"What can you use, then?" He asks, rubbing his temples.

I shrug. "Anything, really. Knives, forks, branches from trees, the things that I saw daily."

"And you can fight," Peeta adds, I turn to stare at him, questions in my eyes. "We've been at the same school for years, Alicia, you think I didn't see those times you fought?" He asks, smiling slightly.

"That was years ago, and you're probably a much better fighter than me. You haul around bags of flour heavier than me on a daily basis."

Haymitch interrupts us. "So can you still fight or not?" He asks.

I gnaw my lip. "I'm probably kind of rusty, but I remember the basics."

"What about you?" He askes Peeta.

"I used to wrestle a lot, but I don't see how that will help me in the arena. People don't usually wrestle each other to the death."

"There's always hand-to-hand. Get a weapon and you could be able to kill someone," Haymitch tells the boy. "Do you have any experience with trapping?" We both shake our heads. "Then get some. And Peeta, don't underestimate strength in the arena. Physical power tilts the advantage to a player. In training they have weights, but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plan's the same for both of you. You go to group training. Spend the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw a spear. Swign a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?"

We both nod. "One last thing. In public, I want you by each other's side every minute." We both open our mouths to object to the idea, but Haymitch slams his hand on the table. "Every minute! It's not open for discussion! Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

I stand up, sighing. This doesn't seem like a good idea. We may be friends now, which I'm fine with, but why both letting us get attached to each other when we may have to kill each other in the arena. It seems like Haymitch is just setting this up so it's harder for us to kill each other.

After brushing my teeth and doinga few streches, it's already almost ten, so I head for the elevator, my cheerfullness having been replaced by a sick feeling in my stomach. Effie is already there, and it isn't long before Peeta turns up and we ride the elevator down to the training rooms.

The doors open and we're greeted by an enormous gymnasium with different weapons and obsitcle courses. It isn't even ten yet, but we're the last to arrive. All the other tributes have a square piece of cloth that shows their district number, and I look around the room as someone pins a 12 to my back.

As soon as we join the group the head trainer, Atala, steps up and begins to explain the training schedule. Experts are at each station, and we're free to travel as we choose. Some stations are for survival, others and fighting techniques. We can't practice combat on another tribute. While she reads out the different stations, I feel my spirits weaken. Almost everyone here is bigger than me. There's one girl, I think from district 11, who seems to be about twelve years old, who is pretty tiny, if it weren't for her here, I would be the smallest of the tributes. So much for the whole hand-to-hand thing.

Atala releases us, and Peeta nudges my arm as the Careers head for the deadliest looking weapons possible. "Where would you like to start?" He asks.

"Well, the others have all going over there, so I kind of don't want to go there just yet. How about we stick to the survival stuff first?"

"Sounds good," He replies. We cross the gym to find a trainer watcing us expectantly from the knot tying station. We spend the next hour practicing a trap that dangles it's captured tribute by their foot. Peeta decides on the next station we visit, the camouflage. He seems to actually enjoy painting his arm with mud and clay and berry juices , disuguiesing it as part of a forest floor. The trainer seems to love his work.

"You're really good at this," I comment, watching the boy while absent mindedly painting swirls of a dark purple berry on my wrist.

"I do that cakes," He admits.

I cock my head to the side. "The cakes? You mean from your bakery?"

He nods. I smile slightly, remembering all the times I would stand outside, pretending that I had enough money to go in and buy one of the beautiful little flowers that dotted the tops of them. We eventually move on through almost all of the survival stations, before Peeta helps insruct me in the weightlifting. I can handle a fair amount, but he tells me to focus more on how long it is that I can hold it, rather than how much I can hold.

* * *

><p>We move from station to station for the next three days, making pleasant conversation the whole time. We pick up quite a few good survival tips through the course. Despite what Haymitch had told us, Peeta's hand-to-hand skill is very excelled and I figure out that I'm pretty good with a few different weapons.<p>

The Gamemakers only made an appearance on the first day. Twenty or so mean and women fressed in deep purple robes. Even though it seemed to be for them to observe us, the Gamemakers completely ignored us, paying more attention to the banquet they were presented with.

Our breakfast and dinner are served on our floor, but at lunch the twenty four of us eat in a dining room off the gymnasium. The food is arranged on carts around the room and you serve yourself. The Careers seem to flock around at one table, trying to seem as if the rest of us aren't worth noticing, almost all of the others sit alone looking lost, not talking to each other. I sit with Peeta, making simple banter and throwing insults at the boy. He's surprisingly easy to talk to about almost anything, as if we've been friends for years, even though I've barely spoken to him before the reaping.

One day Peeta empties our breadbasket and points out how that have been careful to include tpes from the districts along with the rifined bread of the Capitol. The fish-shaped loaf tinted green with seaweed from District 4. The cresent moon roll dotted with seeds from District 11.

"You know a lot," I comment, ripping a piece of the District 12 wannabe bread and placing in my mouth.

"Only about bread," He replies. I roll my eyes at him, shaking my head.

On the second day, while I'm approaching the climbing course, Peeta whispers to me. "I think we have a shadow."

I turn my head, searching the tributes for a moment before I spot her. The District 11 female tribute, a slight, willowy girl with bright, dark eyes and brown skin. She stands with her weight towards her toes and her arms slightly extended, sort of like a bird ready to take flight.

I climb a bit and wait for Peeta to catch up. "What should we do?" I ask him.

"There's really nothing we can do. I think her name's Rue," He says coversationally. I glance back at Rue, she's still watching us intently. Peeta climbs back down the ropes, telling me to go on ahead if I feel like it, and heads off to the neighbouring station. A few minutes after he has left, I feel some of the ropes move and the next thing I know Rue is climbing as well, a few feet away from me.

I smile at her, continuing my climb upwards. From what I see, she's a talented climber, and I remember accidently watching her at a station with a slingshot, hitting almost every target perfectly with it.

On the District 12 floor, Haymitch and Effie prattle on about every second of our day. What we did, who watched us, how the other tributes have done so far. Cinna and Portia aren't around to keep any sense of sanity in the room. Not that Haymitch and Effie are fighting anymore, they've sort of morphed into one being, trying to whip Peeta and I into shape for the Games. It's sort of an improvement from them being down each other's throats, but I still don't really like it.

On the third day of training, they start calling us out of lunch for the private sessions with the Gamemakers. District by dirstirct, first the boy, then the girl tribute. We all linger aorund the dining room, unsure where else to go. No one comes back once they have left.

Once Rue has been called in, I turn to Peeta, grabbing his arm tensely. He jumps slightly, surprised at my sudden loss of calm. "Peeta! What am I going to do? I have no speciality to show them!"

"Hey, hey! Calm down, Alicia!" He says, trying to pry my hands off his arm. He puts his hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. "You'll be fine. Don't worry about it so much," he tells me, I slowly take my hands back, putting them on my head in shame.

"Why didn't I think about this earlier? I completely overlooked the fact I'm meant to impress these guys!" I whine.

"Don't think about it too much," Peeta suggests. "Just show off what you're the best at, or just wing it. What's the worst they can do? Give you a bad mark?" He says. I feel slightly better after his words, and nod. He stands as they summon him.

"Peeta, remember to throw the weights!" I remind him as he walks away.

He smiles slightly. "Thanks. I will."

And then I'm left alone to my thoughts, my hands are shaking with my nerves. I pace, I tap my feet, I try to distract myself by looking around the room for holes in the wallpaper, but nothing works. I'm still completely unprepared for the session, even though I'm a bit calmer after Peeta's words of encouragement.

They call me in a few minutes later, and I freeze by the entrance to the gymnasium for a moment. The Gamekeepers are on the upper level, and two Avoxs are bringing in a large roast pig, placing it on the banquet table. Almost all of their eyes are fixated on the pig, and my jaw clenches. They've sat through all of the others, and now that I'm here, they just don't care anymore, they're hungry and don't care about me.

"Damn it," I curse under my breath, scowling as the last pair of eyes drifts from me to the pig. I walk out to the centre of the gym where several dummys are standing. I grab a pair of knives and walk over to the dummys, placing three in a circle around me.

Through our training, I have discovered that my best stations were knife work, climbing, and a certain course that made me jump as high as I coul into the air and try to fight at the same time. I only tried such stations more than once when lunch ended and the other tributes weren't concertrating enough on me, if they were even there.

I take out the knives and launch myself at the first dummy. The knife in my left hand slices through the torso, around where a human's heart should be, and it topples over, I land crouching on it's chest, turning and kicking the second dummy to the gound and throwing my second knife at the last stadnign dummy. I can tell I've hit them all perfectly, and stand up triumphantly, holding my blades.

My satisfaction, however, is short lived. I turn to the platform and scowl. The Gamemakers aren't even trying to look interested in me. Half of them have their backs turned and the others are chattering amongst themselevs between mouthfuls of food.

I stare at the platform, scowling. The floor isn't too far up and is secured by a few bars, the walls are meant to look fancy with the large cracks and lines placed in it. An idea strikes me, and I slink over to the wall under the Gamemakers' platform. I jump up, catching my boots on a dent in the wall, my fingers slipping into the cracks and holding me there. After a moment, I being to scamnper up the wall, making me feel like some sort of creature you'd find in the woods, or a cat of some sort.

I grab onto a bar to the left of the platform, swinging myself up and crouching low. The Gamemakers have all retired to their seats but still haven't noticed my absence on the ground level. I walk over to Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker, as he reaches for a glass.

**Thunk!**

After waiting a moment as the Gamekeepers closest to him jump back, I wander forward, pulling the blade out of the wood. I quickly slid back down the bars and cracks, throwing the blades down.

"I'm sure nothing can get past your sharp attention," I call, nodding to the group of shocked, alarmed, and angry Gamemakers, before walking out of the room. As soon as I was out of their sight, I ran to the elevator as fast as I could, pushing the button repeatedly until the doors slide open.

I make it almost the whole way to my room before anyone noticed I've returned from the session, Haymitch and Effie both catch sight of me. "How'd it go?" Haymitch asks. I pause, glancing at him, and shake my head. They begin to walk over to me and I dart down the hall, locking myself in my room as they begin pounding on the door.

"What is it?" I call, rubbing my face in a damp cloth.

"What's wrong? What happened?" They called.

I don't reply, I just sit down on the other side of the door. The two keep asking questions for a while before they catch on that I won't be answering just yet. I hear someone plop down on the other side of my door, and Effie's busy footseps soon tell me that it's Haymitch sitting on the other side.

He isn't talking, or trying to get me to talk. And for quite a while we sit in silence, not even acknowleding the other's existance. I'm almost convinced that he isn't there anymore, and tap experimentally on the door. There's a small pause, before he knocks back. I lean my head against the wood and knock again, holding onto my locket. Haymitch replies with another two knocks.

We sit, knocking, for hours. I let my mind wander, wondering what score I will get later tonight, what my family is doing at the moment, how they might cope with my death, how dissapointed they will be when I get a low score. My thoughts stop when, just after the sun sets, Haymitch fails to reply, and I hear him getting up. I feel a frown settle on my face for a moment, before I hear another knock, this time it's someone else.

"Time for dinner!" Effie calls in a her cheerful voice. I sigh, standing up and pulling the door open. Everyone's at the table, even Cinna and Portia. I take a seat opposite Peeta, trying to make an effort to be part of the small chit-chat, but I give up after a while, focusing on the soup I'd been served.

As they serve us our main course, Haymitch breaks the ice. "Okay, enough small talk, how bad have you done today?"

"I don't know that it mattered. By the time I showed up, no one even bother to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song, I think. So, I threw around some heavy objects until they told me I could go," Peeta explains, seeming as irritated as me. At least I wasn't the only one angry at the Gamemakers.

"And you, sweetheart?" Says Haymitch.

I bite my lip. "I…sort of attacked Seneca Crane," I announce.

"Wait, you what?" The horror in Effie's voice is the first thing to hit my ears after. "Alicia, please tell me you're joking!" She pleads.

I shake my head. "Well, I didn't exactly attack him. He isn't injured or anything. I climed up to the Gamemakers' platform and threw a knife between his hand and a glass. They weren't even paying enough attention to notice me climbing up a wall!"

"And what did they say?" Asks Cinna carefully.

"They didn't say anything. I walked out after about a minute, and nobody even said a word," I reply.

Effie looks like she's about to collapse. "Without being dismissed?" She gasps.

"Yeah… I didn't really think they'd be open to watching me any longer. Do you think they'll arrest me?" I ask hesitantly, looking to Haymitch.

"Doubt it. Be a pain to replace you at this stage," He replies, buttering a roll. "They'll probably make your life hell in the arena, most likely."

"Well, they've already promised to do that to us anyway," Peeta points out.

Haymitch nods. "Very true." He grabs a pork chop and dunks it in his wine, making Effie frown. He rips of some meat and starts to chuckle. "What was his face like?"

I grinned. "It was priceless! He looked so scared and surprised, as if I was some assassin! The others all looked ready to run away, too."

Haymitch laughs, and soon enough we're all laughing, save for Effie, who's sitting there fighting a smile. "Serves them right. It's their job to pay attention to you," She says, before glancing around as if she's said something terrible. "I'm sorry, but that's what I think."

We all dig into our dinner after that, a weight I wasn't really aware of before has been lifted off the room.

After we're done with dinner, we do to the sitting room to watch the scores announced on the television. First they show a photo of the tribute, thenflash their score below it. The Carreer Tributes naturally get in the eight to ten range. Most of the others range at around five. Rue comes up with a seven, making me feel a small spark of pride for the little girl.

District tweleve comes up last, and Peeta is displayed to us, showing a large eight. So at least a couple of the Gamemakers must have been watching him and liked what they saw. My photo then pops up and I lean forward, Cinna's hand rests on my shoulder. I blink, and the number is there, flashing the number ten in all it's glory.

Wait… ten? Ten!

Effie lets out a long squeal. And I am patted on the back by the others. "Ten? They enjoy being threatened?" I ask in confusion.

"Guess they liked your 'scariness'. They need some players with bad tempers," Haymitch says.

"Alicia, the girl who was on fire," says Cinna as he hugs me. "Oh, wait until you see your interview dress."

I make a face. "More flames, then?" Cinna smiles secretively at me,

Peeta and I congratulate each other, and I retire to my room, falling into bed and pulling the covers over my body. I could finally relax, even if it was for only a small amount of time, and I planned to take that oppurtunity.

* * *

><p>I rise a little after dawn, stumbling out and rubbing my eyes. It's a Sunday, a day off for my parents back home. The only ones still working would be Leyton and Stephan, who would probably be trading things at the Hob soon, before running their errands. I wonder quickly who would have been saddled with my duties this whole time, who would be there to try and calm the kids? I pitied them, it took me two months to figure out how to calm Jace.<p>

Tomorrow night will be our interviews, so we're probably going to be preparing for that for the next two days.

Peeta, Effie and Haymitch are huddled around when I enter the dining room, speaking in only whispers. I grab a plate of stew and rice then sit down. "So, interview coaching today? Right?"

"That's right," says Haymitch.

"How're we gonna start, then?" I ask.

The three seemed to look at each other for a moment. "Well, there's been a change of plans. About our current approach," says Haymitch, and shrugs. "Peeta has asked to be coached seperately."

My hand, on it's way to placing a spoonful of stew into my mouth, stops halfway. I turn my head, staring at the three, mostly Peeta. "Oh."

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><p><strong>And there you go! I sort of feel as if this was a bit of a filler chapter, but I wanted to put in some friendship development with Alicia and Haymitch, because, hey, I'm allowed to make them like each other! <strong>

**Anyway, this is important, go vote on the poll on my profile! I need it for the next chapter!**

_**To the reviewers!  
><strong>_

_**Gasanechi: Don't worry! Peeta is not in love with Katniss in this fic!**_**  
><strong>

_**caramellachoco: OH REALLY? I loaf your reviews so much! Heehee! *favourite reviewer at this moment* (even if i'm not meant to favour some over others)**_

_**Cupcakelover56: Thank you very much!  
><strong>_

_**VampWolf92: Really? Thanks!**_

**See you soon-ish, lovies!**

**-Shinigami**


	6. Chapter 6

_**OMYGOSH! I UPDATED! **_

_**Actually, I'm in the creative mood, so expect the next chapter soon, guys! Let's go!  
>Thanks for everyone who gave me their input as for the interview stuff! I'm going for the majority vote, though everyone's ideas were fantastic!<strong>_

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><p>I don't feel betrayed or anything, just a little funny. I guess that I should have anticipated this anyway, it's not like we can be a team forever, the Hunger Games must have one victor and one victor only. Sooner or later we'd have to go separate ways, I guess it's sooner.<p>

Peeta seems as if he's trying to say something, but it won't come out, so I decide to try and get the conversation going again. "So how is this going to work? What's the plan?"

"You'll each have four hours with Effie for presentation and four with me for content," says Haymitch. "You'll start with Effie, Alicia."

I'm unable to think of anything Effie can really teach me that lasts four hours, but she has me working like every second counts, which, as it turns out, it does. We go to my quarters and she pulls a long, heavy gown on me and forces me into high-heeled shoes, though neither of them are what I will be actually wearing for the interview, and commands me to walk. There's never been any reason for high heels in District 12, so this is a new experience for me. A painful, tedious experience at that.

Whenever I walk a few feet, my dress starts to get in the way. The heels don't help my 5'5" tall self in the least, and I trip over a fair few times. Finally, though, I begin to pick up the technique of moving in the correct way so that my dress flows along with me, out of the way of my feet. She spends time working on my sitting and posture, which both take time, but we barely touch on smiling, apparently I know how to turn on my little girl charm when I need to.

"Well, that's our lesson over. I think you'll be okay… Just remember to make the audience love you," Effie finally says, standing up and helping me out of my dress.

"How hard can it be? Smile and look pretty so that they bet that I might kill 23 people," I say, rolling my shoulders and pulling on a plain black shirt. "I can manage that."

Effie gives me a look, and I shut up. We walk out and eat lunch quietly. Haymitch and Peeta are in pretty good moods, so I am guessing their fours hours went well.

Haymitch leads me into the sitting room as Peeta is taken away by Effie, and I sit on the couch across from him. Haymitch sits there, staring at me for a while, before frowning deeply.

"What is it? Something on my face?" I ask nervously, touching my cheeks for anything. Haymitch shakes his head.

"I'm trying to figure out what exactly I will do to you," He said finally, rubbing his chin. "Like I've said, you are very charming, but with a 10, you'll need more than a pretty smile to get the crowd to be interested. At the moment, they're intrigued by the girl from District 12 with a score of 10 and your entrance sure got people looking your way. But that won't ensure sponsors. They have to like you, and think you can win."

"What if I can't?"

"You can," He replied, rubbing his temples. "Anyone can win the Hunger Games with the right assets."

"Well then, what's Peeta's approach? Or am I not allowed to know that?"

"Likeable. He has a sort of self-deprecating humour naturally," Haymitch says. "Of course, you don't want to have the same angle as Peeta, it'll bore the crowd to see two of the same. So we need something else, some little flare."

I rub my temples. "Why don't I just try being normal? If they don't like me, they don't like me."

"That won't work. They _have_ to like you. You can't afford to not be liked by them! If they don't, then you won't get out alive."

"Dying isn't an option, Haymitch," I reply, staring at the coffe table. "I'm needed back home. I can't afford to die."

Haymitch stares at me for a while. "Your family means a lot to you?" I nod my head. "Then while you're in the interview, think of them. Try to be the loving daughter and sister from District 12 that wants nothing more than to see her family again."

"So my angle is to be a desperate little girl?" I ask, scowling at him.

"No. Your angle is to be deep. Very deep. And as mysterious as you can get," he tells me. I sit up straight in my chair. It's better than some boring person that wants money, I guess.

We spend the next few hours working on the content of my interview. And the end result satsisfys Haymitch, which make s me relax. After you get past his rude remarks and stand-off attitude, Haymitch actually isn't that bad.

We eat dinner in silence and I retire to my room quite early, lying under my covers rubbing my temples. My mind has been flitting through different questions I might be asked, what my outfit will be, how the audience will react to me, what the other tributes will be talking about, and other trivial things so much that I've developed a thumping headache.

The red headed Avox girl comes in, cleaning the bathroom and bedroom for a while, before walking over to me. She places a damp cloth over my forehead and put a glass of water on my bedside table. I thank her profusely and sip at the water. Sleep does not come for a long while, and I lie there, watching her clean, for what feels like hours, until I eventually feel my eyelids droop and close.

* * *

><p>I wake not to the Avox girl, but my prep team, in the room. They're smiling at me in an almost scary way. My lessons are over, and the day is for Cinna and the team to work on me.<p>

The team works on my until late in the afternoon, scrubbing me down and turning my skin into a flawless light tone, painting all of my nails with flame designs, and stenciling patterns of sparkling flames onto my skin.

Venia washes, blow drys, and teases my hair until it's a perfect halo of curls smelling like flowers, then weaves red strands into the soft ringlets. They put a light blush on my cheeks and draw my features back on where the foundation and powder had eraseed them. Finally, they dust my arms, legs and neck with a fine gold powder that makes me feel like I shimmer and step back as Cinna enters the room, holding something covered. I assume it's my dress.

"Close your eyes," He orders.

I feel the silken inside of my dress as they pull it over me, and hold onto Portia's hand as I'm directed into my heels, that are thankfully not as high as Effie had me in. The dress is heavy, but not unbearable, even for me. They adjust some things, before I get the okay for opening my eyes.

I slid them open and gasp. The girl in the full-length mirror isn't anything that I've ever seen before; high cheekbones, eyes framed with dark gold eyeshadow, plump red lips, and a confused yet serene look in her soft hazel eyes.

But the dress, oh the dress, it's covered completely in tiny reflective gems of red and yellow and white with a few blues to accent the flame design. It's dazzeling by itself, but coupled with the radiant girl wearing it, I feel as if I'm as beautiful as the most precious treasure.

"Oh, Cinna," I breath, astounded that the girl I'm watching talks as well. Until now, I was slightly unsure that it really was me, but now I see I'm talking at the same pace as her, and it snaps into place. "Thank you so much, I don't know how I could-,"

Cinna raises his hand, silencing me. "Twirl for me," he says. I spin in a circle, clapping my hands together as the prep team squeals in admiration. He ushers them out and I walk around in my ensemble, making sure I won't fall over.

"So, all ready for the interview then?" Cinna asks.

I pause, staring at myself in the mirror again. "I'm meant to be mysterious and deep, and I seemed okay in my lessons with Haymitch, but… Oh, Cinna, what happens if I can't be mysterious? What if I mess up?" I ask, turning and walking to him.

"Don't worry, Alicia, you'll be fine." Cinna takes my face in his hands lightly, making sure not to dare smudge my makeup. "All of Capitol are intrigued by you already. They don't know your past, all they know is that you've made a splash. Just remember not to give too much away."

I nod, breathing deeply.

Too soon it's time to go. The interviews take place on a stage constructed in front of the Training Center. Once I leace my room, there's minutes left until the crowd will see me, along with all of Panem.

We meet with the rest of our posse at the elevator. Portia and her team haver been hard at work with Peeta, he's more handsome than usual in a black suit with flame accents. We match, but not like the twin outfits we had been wearing before, which is a relief. Haymitch and Effie have dressed up for the occasion. Effie gushes compliments over us and Haymitch gives me an appreciative nod, which I return with a small smile.

The elevator opens, the other tributes are lined up to take the stage. All twenty-four of us it in a big arc throughout the interviews. I'll be second last, followed by Peeta.

Right before we go parading onto the stage, Haymitch comes up behind Peeta and me. "Remember, you're still a happy pair. So act like it," He reminds us.

I try to figure out how exactly we could act like that when we'll be sitting on a stage in separate chairs. Almost all chance for interaction will be eliminated. I nod anyway, and we walk single-file to our seats and take our places.

Even though it's evening, the City Circle is brighter than a summer's day. There' cameras everywhere, capturing every tribute from at least three angles. The stylists are seated in the front row of an elevated seating unit for the prestigous guests. Cinna's eyes are on me, mking my nerves settle a bit.

Caesar Flickerman, the man who has hosted the interviews for more than forty years, bounces onto the stage. His appearance hasn't really changed since he started, except for his hair. This year, it's powder blue and his eyelids and lips are coated in the same colour. To be honest, it's a little creepy, but I've seen worse colours on him.

He tells a few jokes to warm u the audience then gets down to business. The girl from District 1, in a provocative see through gold gown, steps up and joins Caesar for her interview. Her mentor didn't have any trouble deciding her angle. She's very sexy, flowing blonde hair,emerald green eyes, a lush, voloptuous body, even _I_ want to date her.

Each interview lasts three minutes, then a buzzer goes off and the next tribute is up. Caesar, no matter how horrific the job of being apart of the Games may be, does a very good job. He makes each and every tribute shine with promise.

My little friend Rue is dressed in a gssamer gown with little wings, and flutter over to Caesar like a real bird. The crowd falls silent as they watch her sit down and talk with Caesar. He's very sweet, complimenting her seven. He asks about her greatest strength, and she says with confidence. "I'm very hard to catch. And if they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out."

"I wouldn't in a million years," Caesar replies enthusiastically.

Thresh, the boy tribute from 12, is a giant. He's probably over six and a half feet tall and built like a bull. Just sitting in the seat next to him makes me feel like a weak pixie, even though we shared the same score of 10. He ignores Caesar's attempt at banter and answers his questions with a simple yes or no.

Then they call Alicia Fairbairn, and I stand up confidently. I step up to the stage and shake Caesar's hand, nodding to him. We settle down in our chairs and he turns to me.

"So, Alicia," He starts. "You're such a small little thing, how old are you, sixteen?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh, you're so full of youth! But something tells me you're quite the mature young woman. You hold such a great confidence about you. I mean, when you came out in the opening ceremonies, my heart stopped! What did you think of the costume?" He asks.

"Well, after I got over the initial 'Oh my god am I going to be roasted?' feeling, I thought the costumes were brillant. Cinna is the best stylist I've seen through the Games."

Caesar nods. "Yes, I can see. Stand up once more for us?" I rise from my chair, my dress rippling slightly. Cinna twirls his finger at me, and I twirl obiediantly. There's a gasp from the crowd.

"Oh, do it again!" Caesar cheers. I do it again, before sitting down. "Oh my lord. You're such a beautiful girl! And that traingin score! Ten! How long has it been since a female from District 12 got a ten? What happened in there?"

I touch my lips. "I'm not meant to tell, you should know that, Caesar," I reply, a small, secretive smile appearing on my face.

"Oh, how mysterious! You're killing me, Alicia!" He replies, chuckling.

"Well, I guess I surprised them quite a bit," I reply, shrugging.

"Alright, alright, let's talk more about you before the Games. Can you tell us about your family?" He askes, leaning his head on his hand.

I think for a moment. "I have four brothers. Two of them are like my own children, they're so lovable."

"And they came to see you after the reaping, yes?"

"Yes, yes they did," I reply nodding.

He leans forward. "What did you talk to them about?"

I look out at Cinna. "I promised I'd win the Games and come home. And I will. I have tricks up my sleeves. Not that anyone will know about them until I'm in the area."

Caesar looks at me, smiling warmly. "Something tells me there's more to you than what meets the eye, Alicia. Do you think I'm guessing right?"

"I'm the Girl on Fire, Caesar, what do you think?" I reply cryptically. The buzzer goes off and the auidence breaks into applause.

Caesar stands up, shaking hands with me. He doesn't let me go straight away, instread we twirl together as if part of a dance. "Best of luck, Alicia Fairbairn, tribute from District Tweleve."

I return to my seat, looking at Cinna nervously. He nods his head at me, smiling.

Peeta's interview is filled with laughs and cheers. He has them captued from the start. He jokes and plays his baker role, comparing the tributes breads to their districts. Then has a funny anecdote about the horrs of the Capitol shower system. "Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" He asks Caesar, and then the two take turns sniffing each other that brings down the house, even I repress a grin at their foolishness.

"Handsome lad like you. There must be some special girl. Come on, what's her name?" asks Caesar suddenly, grabbing my attention.

Peeta sighs. "Well, I used to like this girl, but I'm pretty sure she didn't know who I was until the reaping."

Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. Unrequited love they can relate to.

"You say you used to like this girl. What happened? Did you fall out of love with her? Did she get a fellow of her own?"

Peeta shakes his head. "No it's not like that. I guess I just… found someone a bit more… special to me, than her. I mean, she's beautiful but she's a great girl."

"And how long has this new girl interested you?" Caesar asks.

"Not all that long, though I feel like I've know her for a lifetime, we've only started talking recently."

"So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She's can't turn you down then, and you get to rub it in your other girl's face, eh?" Caesar encourages.

"I don't think it's that simple, really."

"Why ever not?"

Peeta blushes beet red. "Well, the reason I even started to like her is… well, we bonded on our train ride here." The crowd goes dead silent, almost confused at this. "What I mean to say is, she came here with me."

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><p><strong><em>Oh, suspense! Not really, but whatever...<em>**

**_To the reviewers!_**

**_Cupcakelover56: Don't worry! Alicia won't be breaking any hearts any time soon! Yeah, I was thinking about giving her and 11, but I didn't want her to just be a copy of Katniss. I promise not to dissapear!_**

**_VampWolf92: Thank you very much, dear!_**

**_Diary of Pep: :O Awh thank you so much, darling! I'm glad you liked the knocking scene. I wanted a bit of cuteness in the story between those two, seeing as I feel like Haymitch doesn't get appreciated enough by Katniss. Thank you for the review!_**

**__See you soon, dears!**

**-Shinigami**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Hello, darlings! Heeeeerrrreeee we go!_**

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><p>For just a moment, my mind finds only one explaination for this. Peeta is in love with Effie.<p>

Wait? Effie? No, that can't be right.

The cameras hold on Peeta's downcast eyes before the screens switch to my face, set in a surprised but calm mask. They aren't showing Effie's face, so he must have been talking about me. _Me_! My face heats up, adding a nice red colour to my cheeks. I can't take my eyes off Peeta, now.

"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," Caesar's voice rings out, with an edge of genuine pain. The crowd is murmuring in agreement, a few even gave agonized cries.

"It's not good," Peeta agrees.

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady," says Caesar. "She didn't know?"

Peeta shakes his head. "Not until now."

I see his soft blue eyes flick in my direction, and I gnaw on my lip slightly. "Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Caesar asks the audience. The crowd screams. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Alicia's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

The crowd deafens me as Peeta returns to his seat, having blown the rest of us out of the water with his love declaration. We all stand for the anthem. Every screen is focused on Peeta and I, seperated by a foot or two of space. I glance his way slightly, before returning to staring straight ahead.

After then anthem, the tributes file back intot he Traingin center lobby and onto the elevators. The mentors and sylists are slowed by crowds, so it''s just the tributes in the elevator. I stand next to Peeta, silent, as the other tributes are dropped off.

We step off finally and I immediately run away from Peeta, who calls my name once, before I'm in my quarters. I pull my dress off and kick the heels away from me. I shove on a pair of tracksuit pants and a clean shirt. I go to the bathroom and scrub my face and arms clean of makeup.

"Alicia?" A voice calls from my door.

"Come in," I shout back, tying my hair into a loose bun after pressing a button that straightens it. The door opens and I fall onto my bed, staring at Haymitch. "What do you want?" I ask sullenly.

"Why are you so moody?" He asks me, leaning on my dresser. "You have the attention of the audience, you should be happy."

I scowl at the man. "Not the way I wanted. I don't need Peeta pretending to be in love with me to survive."

"Don't pout like that, kid. Any attention in the Games is good attention. Who cares if you guys don't actually love each other?"

"I care, Haymitch!" I reply, rubbing my eyes. "If I'm going to fall in love, I want it to be real!"

"Who said it can't be real?" He asks, walking over to me. I raise my eyes to him, tilting my head in confusion. "Why don't you try loving the boy? It can't be that hard, just don't let the audience know it's fake. Peeta's done you a favour, you two won't be forgotten any time soon, whether you die or not."

I stare at Haymitch for a moment, my brow furrowed. He isn't married, and I don't think that he's ever even dated anyone. I don't really want to end up alone like Haymitch, with only a bottle to comfort me, but if I do return home, the chances that I will find someone that might understand my sorrows is slim, having them fall in love with me, slimmer. Peeta is my last chance at love before I die, and I'm going to take it.

"Do you think it looked like I was in love with him, too?" I ask hesitantly. Haymitch nods, and I sigh heavily. "Alright, fine."

"That's a good girl," Haymitch says, patting my head like I'm a dog. I swap his hand away and grin at him. He stands me up and we head out to the dinner table where the others are waiting for us.

"Already out of your dress?" Cinna remarks, making a noise.

"Sorry, I like pants," I reply, taking a seat beside my stylist and grinning.

We eat our dinner with light conversation, before going to the sitting room to watch the replay of the interviews. My twirling seems empty-headed and silly now that I see it, but the interview isn't too bad, and the others reassure me I was fine. Peeta was charming as ever, and with his confession, he was the utter, tragic perfection of the Romeo to my Juliet. Together, we are unforgettable.

The screen blacks out after the anthem and a hush goes over the room. Tomorrow, at dawn, we will be woken and prepared for the arena. The Games don't start until ten in the morning, but it could take hours to get to the arena, so we are woken up early to prepare.

Haymitch and Effie will not be going with us. They'll be at the Hunger Games Headquarters when we leave for the arena, hopefully siging up as many sponsers as possible. Cinna and Portia will travel with us to the arena and stay with us until we're launched into the arena. Our goodbyes must be now, though, with Effie and Haymitch.

Effie takes both of us by the hand and, with actual tears in her eyes, wishes us well. She thanks us for being the best tributes it has ever been her priverledge to sponsor, and then ends off with, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent district next year!" Then she kisses us each on the cheek and hurries out, leaving us staring after her.

Haymitch crosses his arms and looks us both over.

"Any final words of advice?" asks Peeta.

"When the gong sounds, get the hell out of there. Neither of you are up to the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a sorce of water," he says. "Got it?"

"And after that?" I ask.

"Stay alive," say Haymitch. It's the same advice he gave us on the train, but he isn't drunk or laughing about it. Peeta nods and I step forward, throwing my arms around Haymitch's neck. I don't care if he isn't used to this or doesn't want it, I need it. So I hug him hard, smelling malt wine and some faint cologne. Haymitch gives me a quick squeeze around my waist that makes mee feel both one hundred times better and one hundred times worse.

"Thank you, Haymitch," I mutter, letting him go. I return to my room, but Peeta says back to talk with Portia. I shower and crawl into bed, and, very surprisingly, fall into a deep slumber almost immediatley, but it doesn't last. I wake up a few hours before dawn and I can tell that sleep won't be returning to me, so I crawl out of the sheets, wandering out of my room.

The roof is chilly, you'd think I'd learn from last time about how cold I could get, but _noo_. The lights aren't on anymore, either, but I can still see the outline of Peeta against the city lights twinkling around us, but he hasn't noticed me. Down below, on the streets of the Capitol, feastivities are still going on.

I slink up behind the boy and cover his eyes with my hands. "Gotcha!" I say. He starts, surprised, before I let him go and lean on the rail, watching the streets of dancing people in all different colours. "This is all for us, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," He replies, watching them closely.

"Are they in costumes, or…?"

He shrugs. "Who knows? With all the crazy clothes they wear here. Couldn't sleep, either?"

I yawn dramatically, stretching my arms, before deflating. "I fell asleep just fine, it was the staying asleep part that I couldn't manage."

"Ah…"

We stare at the citizens for a while before he speaks again. "Thinking about your family?"

"Hmm?" I look over, and he repeats his question. "Not really, which sounds sort of bad. You?"

He shrugs. "A little. I'm just trying to figure out how to get through the Games without disgracing myself… and.."

I turn to face him fully, interested. "And, what?"

"…I want to die as myself. I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not. Does that make any sense?"

I nod. "Yeah. I just can't image you being anyone other than yourself."

"I just keep wishing I could think of a way to… to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games," he sighs.

"But you're not. Neither am I or any of the others," I remind him, frowning.

"Okay, but withing that framework, there's still you, there's still me," He insists. "Don't you see?"

"I see, Peeta," I reply, trying to calm his anxiousness by grabbing onto hi hand, which he has begun to throw around when he talks. "I do see, but I don't want people loosing their lives just for the matter of not being the same. Everyone that's come out of the Games has changed a little, haven't they?" I sigh, patting his hand, inspecting the small scars healed over from the times he must have burnt himself in the bakery. "But all we can do is try not to lose our humanitity, not to become like one of _them_," I end, nodding my head to the cheering people down below (like, seriously? Don't they know what time it is?) and sigh.

"Right…" He replies, settling down a little bit. "Want to go inside? I'll see if I can get us some hot chocolate."

"Sure," I nod, letting his hand go and wandering back inside. He leaves for a moment and I fall down on the loveseat in the sitting room.

Peeta returns a minute later, two steaming mugs in his hands, and sits next to me. I sip my hot chocolate and shiver with delight, smiling and trying not to think about how this is most likely the last time I will ever have hot chocolate. "It's good."

"At least we got something good from all of this," He says half-jokingly.

"What? Hot chocolate? I'm not too sure that it's really enough, but okay," I reply, smothering a giggle at his remark. We sit and talk quietly for a while until I've finished my drink, and set it on the ground beside the loveseat. "Peeta…" I mutter, growing bashful. "Can you answer a question for me with complete honesty?"

He nods. "Sure. You aren't going to ask about my arena stratergy, are you?"

"No, I'm not," I reassure him, shaking my head. "What you said in the interview… was it true? Or was it… you know, for the audience?" I ask carefully, staring at my little flame designed fingernails.

Silence.

"What I said..?" He let out a sort of huff of air, like a laugh. "I just said that I didn't want the Capitol to change me. Do you think I'd lie about who I have a crush on?"

I looked up at him, shaking my head. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Don't worry about it. No, I wasn't lying."

I smile without meaning to. "I see," I say, playing with my fingers.

"So…" He says, turning to me. "Do you…"

"What? Do I like you too?"

He nods, making me fidget. He may feel completely comfortable with confession love in front of millions, but I had trouble even admiting that I found someone attractive to myself! "I…"

"What're you doing up?" We spin around, startled.

"Cinna!" I breath, jumping to my feet.

He folds his arms, looking me up and down. "Have you been up all night or something?" He asks me, assessing me.

I shake my head quickly. "No! I just woke up… Two hours ago…." I mutter, seeing the time. Cinna doesn't say anything, only telling me to go and get dressed. I salute him and rush to my room, dressing in a jumper and pants, before rushing back out.

He leads me to the roof –a popular place to be, apparently- as a hovercraft appears, a ladder dropping down from it. I place my hands and feet on the rungs and feel a smal shock go through me, and I'm suddenly in the hovercraft. I'm stuck to the ladder as a woman appraches me, carrying a syrine.

"This is just your tracker, Alicia. The stiller you are, the more efficantly I can place it," She says. I quit the small struggling I have started and close my eyes. There's a shart pain in my forearm. It's for the Gamemakers to trace my whereabouts in the arena. It would be bad if a tribute fell off the face of the earth mid-game.

The syringe comes out and I'm released from the ladder. Cinna is retrieved from the roof and an Avox shows us to a table where breakfast is being searved. I eat as much as my stomach will allow me to as I watch the city zoom past. About half an hour into our ride, I'm blindfolded, suggesting that the arena is nearby. The hovercraft lands and we make our way to my preparation chamber. In the Capitol, they call it the Launch Room, but in the districts, we call it the Stockyard. The place animals go before slaughter. It's eerily fitting.

I shower and clean my teeth in solemn silence, and Cinna pulls my hair into a high ponytail, the ends of my hair tickle my shoulderblades for a while until my outfit is presented. It's something Cinna has no say in, which frankly sucks, but he helps me dress anyway. Tawny pants, light green blouse, sturdy brown belt, and a thin, hooded black jacket that must have been designed the same for everybody, because it fits me like a short dress. I pull on the soft leather boots and Cinna points out they'll be good for running.

"One last thing," Cinna says, grabbing my necklace from the vanity table. He clips it on, the silver locket falling at the hem of my blouse. "Now move around, make sure everything feels comfortable."

I walk around for a bit, doing streches and looking around, sipping a glass of water. I try to keep my mind blank, to not think of what's to come, but the thoughts come seeping through my mind. How will I die? Who will kill me? Will it be Peeta? Will I have to kill him?

"Alicia, do you want to talk?" Cinna asks.

"Peeta told me he really likes me," I say. I know it's not what he was going to talk to me about, but I don't want to dread myself more "He told me it wasn't for the audience. He really likes me. You came in just after that."

"And..?"

"And I don't think I can kill him, Cinna."

Cinna takes my hands in his own, holding them like that for a while. "Alicia, don't worry about it. You'll do what you need to in the arena."

I nod, and we sit in silence until a pleasant female voice tells us it's time to prepare for launch. I stand up, hugging the man once more before walking over and standing on thecircular metal plate. "Remember this, Alicia. I'm not allowed to be, but if I could, my money would be on you."

"Really?" I ask.

"Truly," says Cinna. He leans down and kisses me on the forehead. "You're stronger than you think. Good luck, girl on fire."

And then a glass cylinder is lowering around me, breaking us apart. I press my hand against the glass for a moment, and he taps his fingers under his chin. Head high.

I lift my head up, standing ramrod straight as the cylinder beings to rise. I'm in darkness for a few seconds, before I'm pushed into the open air. I squeeze my eyes shut for a second as the sun hits it, before opening them wide and surveying my surroundings, trying to get as much infromation about the arena as I can in these few seconds.

I want to look around for Peeta, but the cameras could be focused on me right now, so I just keep my head high and my jaw set. Then I head the announcer, Claudius Templesmith, as his voice booms all around me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

_**And now we're getting into the Games! I'll be changing the rating soon-ish if I get too into the whole fight...blood...death...thing...**_

_**To the reviewers!**_

_****_**Diary of Pep: Oh my god! That metaphor for Haymitch couldn't have been more perfect if you tried! I'm trying to make sure that Alicia doesn't come off as too ungrateful or anything. But please do tell me if you thing her reactions to something should be more... I don't know... expressive or something. Thank you thank you thank you for reviewing!**

**VampWolf92: Awh I am sorry! Here you go, lovely!**

**cHoCoLaTe-RuM: Heehee, thank you very much!**

_**Later, Gators!**_

_**-Shinigami**_


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hello there! Just a heads up, check my profile ever few days to see if there's a new poll out, it will affect this story!_**

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><p>We're required to wait on our circles for sixty seconds; if you step off before then, you are blown to pieces. It's not pretty.<p>

We're all equidistant from the Cornucopia, a giant golh cone-shaped horn with a curved tail, and a mouth that is at least twenty feet high and spilling with different things that will help us in the Games. Food, water, backpacks, weapons, medicine, fire starters. The value of the item decreases with the distance from the Corncopia.

We're standing on a flat, open stretch of ground covered with hard packed dirt. To my left is thick piney woods; to my right, a large lake. Behind the tributes in front of me is nothing, so I guess it's a cliff or steep slope.

Something in the Cornucopia spoils catches my eye. It's two knives, almost the same as the ones during the training sessions, wrapped in a leather holder. It's not too far from me, all I would need to do is sprint a short distance and snatch it up, then run away. The question is, who would I have to kill, or dodge, to get there?

But I won't be the only target. The other tributes would probably be much more worried about people like Thresh than someone like me.

I can tell the minute is almost up and I glance around, finding Peeta staring at me. I smile at him slightly and ready myself.

The gong goes off and I'm flying across the field. I slide on my knees and grab the leather pouch, slinging it across my shoulder and taking off again. The other tributes are already lunging at each other, and I'm taken little notice of until the boy from District 9 spots me as he grabs a small backpack. I jump at him, slamming my knees into his chest. We hit the ground hard, and

I waste no time shoving one of the blades into his chest. I am splattered with blood but roll off him quickly. I see that the District 2 girl has also got her own blades, but her knives are meant for throwing, and she's lining them up at me. I feel a shiver go through me at the resort I'm taking, but I grab the boy under his arms and haul him up –he's surprisingly light, despite his looks- and run backwards, towards the woods, as the girl draws her knife back. She throws it and I duck, screaming as I feel the blade stab through the body lying on me. I scamper to my feet and scoop up the backpack that he was carrying, fleeing to the cover of the trees without looking back. The girl was definitely a Career, so she was probably going back to the bloodbath for more items.

I run through the woods until I'm wheezing, not looking back, my feet slamming down on the hard ground while I push anything in my path out of the way. I walk for a while, then jog, before finally settling down behind some bushes to inspect my pack. It's very basic, but will probably be useful to me somehow: a half gallon water bottle –not a drop of water in it-, a box of matches, a coil of wire, sunglasses, a pack of beef strips and crackers, a bottle of iodine, and a thin black sleeping bag.

I place everything back into the pack and sling it over my shoulders, clipping the knife holder around my hips and starting out again. I curse myself for not grabbing the throwing knife left in District 9 boy's body. Find water, that's my main priority, I won't be able to survive long without it.

The cannons fire in the late afternoon, each shot represents the death of a tribute. It also means that the bloodbath is over at the Cornucopia. The never collect the bodies until all tributes have cleared the area. I pause to listen. There are eleven fires of the cannon, which means only thirteen left to play. I don't let the thought of Peeta being killed in the bloodbath come to my mind for more than a few seconds. He's a strong boy, I'm sure he wouldn't give up without a fight.

I see a few animals scurrying along the ground and stare after them, before starting to follow in their direction. Animals will always know where the water source is, right? So all I need to do is follow their lead. I run as quietly as I can after a small rabbit that hops a few meters in front of me.

Night falls and we still haven't come to the water source, so I decide to start looking for somewhere safe to camp for the night I grunt and use my wire, branches, and some sturdy bark to make a small trap and place it in a large thicket of bushes. After a good amount of searching, I find a sturdy tree and scamper up it, tying my sleeping bag in against a sturdy branch with my belt so that I won't fall out in my sleep.

The anthem begins to play and a I can see the seal of the Capitol through the branches up in the night sky. The sky goes dark for a moment after the anthem is finished as those at home see the recap of each killing. We see none of the replays, though, because it's seen as an unfair advantage if they display each tribute's style of killing. We only see the photos of those now out of the Games, the headshots that were displayed with our training scores as well. Now the scores have been replaced with their district number. I watch the faces of the eleven dead tributes go by, gripping my branch tightly.

The first to appear is the girl from District 3, so all of the Career Tributes from 1 and 2 have survived the bloodbath, unsurprising, really. Then the boy from District 4 shows, which is a change. The boy from District 5, leaving his red head companion. Both tributes from 6 and 7, the boy from District 8, both from 9. There's one to go, but it's the girl from District 10. I sigh in great relief. Peeta made it through the bloodbath.

I feel slightly guilty for not checking to see if he was okay when I was in the cover of the forest. But there really wasn't much else that I could do but run like Haymitch told me to. The final musical flourish sounds with the Capitol seal back in the sky, then darkness and the forest sounds continue like before.

I settle back into my spot and try to rest, but it doesn't work. I'm stuck sitting in a tree, listening to the quiet animals scurry around. Nothing is out of place apart from me, and I can hear the night animals doing their work as I sit there, begging for rest but knowing it won't come. Why can't I just—

Snap!

The sound of a break branch shatters the quiet forest around me. I straighten up looking all directions intently, trying to make my senses reach further into the forest. Snap! Snap! Someone's moving around, maybe breaking branches to my right. I turn in that direction and watch the darkness. There's some scuffling for a moment, then I see a spark and a small fire begins. A shadowed pair of hands warm over the flames. They're quite slender, and I can see the outline of perfect nails, so I assume it's a girl. I wonder if I should take her out now for being so stupid. Doing that while the Careers were out hunting was like waving a white flag and serving yourself up on a platter.

Great, now I'm stuck in a tree near some idiot trying to get herself killed while everyone still awake is probably making their way towards our location. What's there for me to do? I sigh, scowling as I try to curl myself up as tight and inconspicuous as possible.

I sit in my sleeping bag for a few hours, watching the dumbass go about her business without caring about what attention is being drawn. She falls asleep as dawn approaches and just as I think that we've gone unnoticed, several pairs of feet begin to break into a run. They've pounced, she doesn't have a chance. I hear her pleads and an agonized scream.

There's laughter and congratulations from several voices. Someone cries out, "Twelve down and eleven to go!" which gets a round of hoots in appreciation.

The Careers are hunting us in a pack. It's not really a surprise to me. Strong tributes often band together in the early days of the Games and pick off everyone else, then the tension gets too great and they being slitting each other's throats in the night until it turns into an all-out death match between the remaining few.

"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking." I'm pretty sure that it's the boy from District 2 speaking.

They begin to walk in my direction, I'm frozen to the tree, my breathing is slow and careful as I watch them. They stop about 10 meters from my tree, and all I can see are a few random arms and lefs when the light of the torches hit them.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately."

"Unless she isn't dead."

"She's dead. I stuck her myself."

"Then where's the cannon? Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done."

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twick."

"I said she's dead!"

An argument breaks out and I contemplate trying to scurry away through the treetops when one tribute silences the others. "We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!"

My hand flies to my mouth, my eyes widen to a size I didn't think they could. I can't hear anything other than his voice bouncing through my ears and infecting my brain. The voice is Peeta's.

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><p>"Go on then, Lover boy," says the boy from District 2. "See for yourself."<p>

Peeta's body and face are lit up by a stray torchlight for a moment, and I study him. He's beaten up a bit. There is a bloody bandage around his arm, his face is swollen with bruises and I think that he's got a bit of a limp as I watch him turn around and walk off. He did the opposite of what Haymitch said to do, he threw himself into the bloodbath head first. To be fair, I did that too, but I didn't go and join up with the Careers.

I could practically hear the shouts of surprise and curses being thrown all over District 12. Teaming up with the Careers isn't a very admirable thing in our district. Peeta must know that. Then why is he doing it? Survival? He doesn't stand a chance against all of them!

The Careers are silent until he's a fair way away, out of earshot, before beginning to whisper to each other.

"Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?"

"Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with a knife. Besides, he's our best chance of drawing her out."

I blink for a moment before it registers that they're talking about me.

"Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?"

"She might have. Seemed like an airhead to me. All she's good for is spinning in circles like a freakin' kid."

"How'd she get a ten, then?"

"Dunno, but I bet Lover Boy does."

The sound of a returning Peeta silences them once again. "Was she dead?" Asks the District 2 boy.

"No. But she is now," says Peeta. Just then, the cannon fired. "Ready to move on?"

The pack sets off at a run as I squint at the rising sun. Birdsong begins to fill the air as I clamber down the tree, stretching my stiff muscles. The birds fall silent suddenly, making me whip my head around in alarm. There's one quick call from some bird before I see a hovercraft materialize. A set of huge metal teeth drop down and pull the dead girl's body into the hovercraft. Then it's gone again and the birds resume their song.

I realize that, from where I had been lying in the tree, the camera mustn't have had a very good shot of me, but the audience knows that I was there while the Careers were talking. I'm probably on screen right now. I put on my best indifferent face and wander towards where the dead girl had made her camp. Peeta and the Careers –I'm not ready to call him part of their group. It just doesn't seem right- have left barely anything for me to salvage. I climb up into the nearest tree. I climb almost all of the way to the top until I can see the sky and most of the arena. It's beautiful but nauseating, so I glance around quickly, trying to gather where I am exactly, before beginning to descend back down carefully.

I check the trap I set the night before and find a rabbit caught in it. I thank myself for listening to my survival instructor while I skin and gut the thing. Although it isn't too shabby, I'm sure Katniss is shaking her head with shame at my job back home. She's always hunting and could probably do a better job at this with her eyes closed. I remember she once tried to show me how to kill a squirrel, it was back when we were eleven or so, and the thought of killing something made me squeal with disgust. Over the years, though, I couldn't appreciate Katniss enough for what she did, it wasn't something I would have been able to do if I was in her shoes.

I cook the rabbit over the coals before stamping them out, I put the cooked meat in the pack of dried beef strips and place it in my bag, allowing myself to eat about half of the rabbit as I walk in the opposite direction of the Careers and Peeta.

Water is my main priority now, I can't last long going along with my lips parched and my head dizzy from the lack of water in my body. Dehydration has killed more than a few tributes in the past. I try not to think about my ever weakening self as I continue with my hike towards where I hope is the lake.  
>Even though I don't know what exactly is going on with him right now, I can't help but hope that Peeta's okay with the Careers.<p>

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><p><strong><em>So... that was anti-climactic... oh well...<em>**

**_I hope you enjoyed nevertheless.! _**

**__To the reviewers:**

**VampWolf92: Thank you very much!**

**Diary of Pep: Really? Oh my god! I love that it came out kind of good-ish! I wasn't too sure if you guys would like it. Ha-ha, don't we all want a Haymitch hug? Thank you for reviewing, dear!**

**DesignerPhoenix: I AM SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WAIT! Here you go, darl :3**

**_Reviews make Shini's world go 'round!_  
><strong>

**_-Shinigami_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Ello loves!_**

**_Yeah... this is short... and filler-ish, because NOBODY HAS VOTED ON MY POLL!  
>So, seriously, go vote after you've read and reviewed. Don't be lazy, that's my job.<em>**

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><p>I walk through the forest for another day, stopping to rest for only a few hours before I continue my trek through the trees. The girl Peeta killed was apparently from District 8, as I found not too long before I drifted to sleep.<p>

By the late afternoon, I'm falling over my feet and I end up using a long, thin branch as a walking staff to keep me upright. The effects of my dehydration are in full swing and I can barely keep myself upright, and have a fear that if I stop moving, I won't be able to start again. The fear pushes me to keep tripping and stumbling the hours away. I thank whoever is listening that no other tributes have found me yet, because I have no fight left in me. If there is anyone near me, they're not bothered by my presence; they probably think I'll end up dying soon anyway. I can't help but agree with them.

"Why do you hate me, Haymitch?" I mutter, frowning at my feet as I continue through the mud and grass, hating the Games even more than usual. I want to go home already.

Hold up! Mud and grass?

My head snaps up, staring at the ground around me. "Mud!" I cry out, not caring who hears me at the moment. I'm so happy I throw my walking stick away and run slowly through the mud until the trees thin out. I slip and fall, slamming down on my tailbone and slipping down into the small pond I have discovered, laughing with relief as I hold my bag over my head, saving it from the water.

I drag myself out of the pond and pull out my flask. I fill it and put a few drops of iodine into the container. Waiting a whole thirty minutes for the water to purify if torture beyond belief, but I take the time to try and cover some of the tracks around the pond I've made before returning to the water. I take a long sip, then wait a few minutes before taking another.  
>I drink two of the half gallon bottles over the next few hours and prepare a fresh bottle and eat a strip of beef before settling down in my sleeping bag as the anthem plays. No tributes have died today, we all survived.<p>

I hunker down early after making sure I won't be spotted easily and get a few hours of shut-eye. I wake up to a smell I'm actually quite used to, and a wall of fire accompanying the smell of burning wood.

"SHIT!"

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><p>The world around me is nothing but smoke and flames. I scramble out of my bag, thankful for placing my pack in the bottom of it before I went to sleep. I throw my water container into the bag and throw it over my shoulder, sprinting away from the burning trees.<p>

I run and slip along the riverbank, my chest heaving as I try to outrun the fire. I slip up and slam into the ground, something in my side cracks in a very worrying manner, but adrenaline is flowing now, so I don't really feel any pain. I pull myself up and keep running, pushing through the branches and shrubs, before screaming to a halt as the trees in front of me burst into flames.

This fire isn't accidental, this fire isn't from a tribute fire gone bad. This was made by the machines of the Gamemakers. It was too perfectly controlled, aiming at me. I curse myself for not being prepared for this. If nobody dies in 24 hours, they take things into their own hands. The Games must never be boring for the audience.

I skid to a stop in front of the trees, turning to my right and sprinting further away. I pause for a moment to rub my watering eyes by a few boulders, coughing and wheezing. Where are they tring to lead me? Obviously somewhere near the Careers, but where is that? I hope that it's somewhere near water. I can't think anymore because the fireballs begin to hurtle toward me.

I duck the first and it catches my shoulder, and I rip the whole sleeve off while I run, stamping it out before dodging another fireball. After a few moments more of dodging, I notice that there's always a faint hiss before a fireball is thrown at me, and they always come from somewhere in direct line of the boulders. I decide that my best bet is to get away from the rocks and back into the forest.

They won't kill me, not yet at least. The sport of the Games is watching the tributes kill each other, not watching them be killed by Gamemakers, though it does happen from time to time, just so that the tributes remember that they can die at any time.

I climb up a tree with ease and buckle my sleeping back in against the trunk before I assess my injuries. The adrenaline rush from the fire is beginning to wear off and as I prod where I guess my lowest rib is, I begin to wonder if climbing up this tree was a good idea, and if I'll be able to get down again. My shoulder isn't too bad, it was barely touched by the fireball, my clothing had protected me fairly well.

I do my best not to hurt my rib as I gargle some water and spit it out, coughing out the toxic fumes I've been inhaling. I decide there's nothing more to do then to huddle down and wait for the Careers or someone else to find me.

And find me they do.

They come not too long after I've settled down. They're coughing and they're wheezing and I can see they've been hurt from the fire. Good, at least I'm not completely disadvantaged. Alright, who am I kidding? I'm still nowhere near ready to take them on.

I cover my mouth, freezing to my branch. The Careers have settled down not far from me, but they haven't seemed to notice me sitting high up in the branches. Whether it's pure luck or their foolishness, I'm left alone to watch them prepare their sleeping bags. They have a lot of food with them but I'm not brave enough, or strong enough, to snatch anything without being killed.

I sit there, holding my side, and watch the four Careers settle down for some rest. Peeta has apparently been chosen for the first sentry.

An hour passes and I think that Peeta has fallen asleep on the job. I take the opportunity to unbuckle myself and start to slowly crawl along the branch. I jump, catching myself on a sturdier branch a little lower down from a neighbouring tree.

_Snap!_

I gasp, watching some of the branch snap and plummet to the ground not far from the Careers. My muscles lock together, my brain stops for a moment that stretches for what feels like hours. No sleeping tributes rise, which gives me some hope. But then, as I go to get up, Peeta raises his head, his powdery blue eyes catching mine instantly.

"Peeta…" I breath, staring at him.

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><p><strong><em>DONE! NOW AFTER YOU'RE REVIEWED, GO VOTE!<br>_**

**_Anyways, to the reviewers. _**

**CreativeBoredom: Thank you very much, darling!  
>Diary of Pep: I do? Oh my god, you make me so happy! I always love when writing can make me envision what's going on, I didn't think my own writing did though..<br>Am I a fan of Death Note and Bleach? AM I EVER! I live and breath on that stuff, why do you ask, my dear?**

**VampWolf92: Thank you! I know, I know, my updating skills are unsatisfactory. I need to work on that...**

**_See ya around!_  
><strong>

**_-Shinigami_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, guess what? It was my birthday on Wednesday! Whoot-whoot! Anyways, here's your chapter, I hope I don't disappoint. By the way, before you ask me about anything in the chapter, read the A/N at the end.**

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><p>"Peeta…"<p>

I stay locked in my crouching position, staring down at Peeta. He makes no move to wake the Careers, instead he just sits there, staring at me. I stay on the branch for another minute, unsure of what to do, when Peeta moves. I pull out a knife, ready to attack if the others are woken, but it's not needed. All he does is raise his arm, pressing a finger to his lips before dropping it again. I experimentally climb to another branch, further from the group, and look back at him. He's still watching me, but he hasn't moved.

He's not going to kill me? Is he really letting me go? I think to myself. Why..? Would I do the same for him?

I hop further away and climb down to the ground; I turn back to look at him again. "Thank you…" I whisper, then turn, sprinting away on light feet.

I'm wheezing by the time I get to the edge of the forest. I stop in my tracks, surprised. It's a camp, probably for the Careers. A pile of supplies and food is about thirty yards away from the lake. There's nobody in sight, but I don't feel right about it. Feeling a little silly, I dig through my pack, pulling out the sunglasses and get down on my hands and knees, staring at the ground surrounding the pile. The sunglasses actually enhance my vision. I don't even know why I decided to put them on in the first place.

It's been turned up. The soil is fresh and loose, which sets off alarm bells in my mind. The Careers have set traps.

My head snaps up suddenly. Heavy footsteps are coming in the direction of the camp. I duck into some nearby bushes, peeking through the leaves. I don't see any Careers coming near me. I see a large figure. It's coming not from the forest, but from the unknown, the place I couldn't see when the games began. It's Thresh. The boy from District Eleven.

He is limping slightly, and he doesn't seem to stop and notice that something isn't right about leaving supplies out in the open. He charges right through towards the pile.

"Don't!" I say, before covering my mouth. He looks up, surprised at my outburst, but he doesn't heed my advice in time. There's a snap near him, and the soil gives away. The bottom half of Thresh disappears, and he lets out a small shout of pain.

I leap from the bushes, running over to him. I slow down when I near the supplies, following in Thresh's footsteps. The Careers are smarter than I gave them credit for. They dug a hole and filled it with sharp rocks and other weapons they either don't need or can't use properly. They seemed to have covered the hole with thin branches and leaves, then scattered dirt over them as camouflage. It's pretty smart.

"Thresh, it's me, Alicia. I'm from District Twelve," I say in breathless whisper. He stares at me, almost confused. "I'm gonna try and help you out, are you hurt?"

He stares at me for a minute, as if he is deciding whether I'm trustworthy. "My leg," he says. I nod in understanding.

"Um…" I look around, before jogging over to the edge of the forest. I grab the first good looking fallen branch I see and walk back to Thresh. I dump all of my belongings on the ground and tie the end of it around the branch. "Alright, hold onto this. I'm going to try and pull you out."

"How do I know you aren't gonna kill me with those knives there, huh?" He snarls, staring at my weapons.

"You're going to have to trust me," I reply, kicking the knives as far away as possible without being too far. "Please, Thresh," I whisper.

He locks eyes with me, holding my gaze. His eyes are so dark, but I can see a hint of fear. He knows I can kill him, in such a vulnerable position. But I'm not going to. He grabs then end of my sleeping bag, and I smile at him slightly, before beginning to pull.

It's hard, he is so much bigger than me, but I'm not starving or dehydrated right now, so I'm not as weak as before. It's a long process, but I slowly start to drag him out of the hole. After quite a while, I've got Thresh out of the hole. I collapse on the ground, panting. My ribs are throbbing from the exertion.

"Thank you," he breaths. I nod, panting.

"It's fine. They have this place booby trapped. There's no reason to stick around here, they'll probably be back soon."

I pick myself up from the ground and pack my things back into the sleeping bag. I turn and look at Thresh, he's staring at me.

"Why didn't you just kill me?" He asks.

I shrug slightly. "Killing you while you're trapped in the ground isn't my style. I wouldn't take advantage of you like that."

"You're hurt, too," He observes.

My head shoots up, listening intently. "Footsteps…" I mutter. "They're coming!"

Before I know what's happening, Thresh as scooped me up and thrown my sleeping bag in my lap. He sprints away, slowing when we get near a field of long grass. He pushes us through the grass until we come to a small camp that I guess he has step up.

Thresh places me down carefully, sitting down across from me on the flattened grass. I look around. There isn't much here. Some food, the remains of a fire long ago died down and a small woven grass basket with dirty water in it. A breeze flutters through the grass, sending a shiver down my spine. It's cold, and in the early morning.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask after a few minutes. "Wouldn't it have been easier to let me fiend for myself?"

He's paying little attention to me, playing with a piece of the straw-like grass. "You saved me first."

I open the sleeping bag, taking out my things. He tenses when I pull the knives out, but I put them down quickly, moving on. I grab my flask, checking the amount. It's still almost full. I scrawl over to Thresh, screwing the cap off. I take a sip to prove I haven't poisoned it or anything, then I hand it to Thresh. "Drink up," I order him softly.

I pull out the crackers and beef I have, offering the boy some. He gratefully takes a cracker and tears a strip of beef in half, giving back the other half. I bite into my half and grin at him. Thresh gives me an almost-smile back.

"Does anybody else come in here?" I ask, looking around.

"No, I haven't seen anyone. That group of kids, they almost did once, but they backed out."

"Do you think… I could take a nap?" I ask. He nods.

I unzip the sleeping bag the rest of the way. I throw it over the two of us, using it like a blanket. He looks at me, confused. "This place is cold, and the sleeping bag is big enough for both of us. I'm not letting you go cold while I stay all toasty."

"I guess we're…allies now?" He mutters, looking at his large hands.

I smile, shrugging at him, lying down. "I guess we are. Don't kill me in my sleep, okay, Thresh?" I mumble, looking up at him.

He looks away, scowling at the sky. "Right."

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><p><strong>Okay!<strong>

**First, no, this isn't a Thresh/Alicia thing. You'll see why soon, but Thresh sees her more like a sister than anything later on. **

**Next, there were no landmines because in the book, Katniss releases the Tracker Jackers on the Careers, but they target the District 3 boy as well, and he runs into the Careers, and then they make a deal to spare him if he guards the stuff. Alicia didn't do anything with the Tracker Jackers, so he didn't run into them. HA! LOGIC!**

_**Chifuyuu: Hee-hee! Dramatic music FTW! Thank you, lovely!**_

_**VampWolf92: Thank you!**_

_**Sarah Jackson – The Other: I shall, my dear, I shall.**_

_**Aihart and asha74: I haven't seen you two in my reviews before. Welcome to hell!**_

**Later!**

**-Shinigami**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello!**

**Um, if you think that Thresh is a little OCC in this, let me explain.**

**Thresh's character was majorly undeveloped in the books and movies, we didn't really get to know him at all, therefore, all he needs is to open up in a way we didn't see. **

**Also, if you has a problem, GO RE-WRITE THE HUNGER GAMES YOURSELF DAMNIT!**

**Just kidding I love you guys 3**

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><p>When I wake up, it's almost nightfall. Thresh is still sitting next to me, as if he hasn't moved. I rub my eyes, sitting up. "You kept watch all day?"<p>

He grunts, nodding slightly.

"…Thank you," I mutter, shifting in place. My worry has begun to set in. That branch that I made drop last night could have woken up someone. What if one of the Careers saw Peeta letting me go? Is he okay? Will he be for long? Is he already dead?

Thresh watches me, looking sort of confused. "You worried about your boyfriend?"

I blink, my face warming up. "He's not my boyfriend," I murmur.

He gives me a look. "Right," He replies, shaking his head.

"H-He isn't!" I cry, folding my arms. Thresh grins at my reaction, and I grin back, unable to help myself. He was such a stone during the interviews. I realise just how little I actually know about Thresh.

After a few minutes of silence, I look over at the boy, he's still looking at me. "So, was what he said in that interview some lie?"

I cast my eyes away, my face heating up. "No, that was real. He just isn't my boyfriend," I mutter. Thresh's large hand lands on my shoulder, patting it in what is probably the closest thing to a comforting gesture I will get from him.

"You and the baker boy sure are doomed," He mutters.

"Yeah, we are…" I whisper, my mind replaying just how I got here with Thresh. Then, all of a sudden, I jump to my feet. "But we aren't just yet."

He looks at me, confused. "What-?"

"If I'm going to die, I'm want to go out kicking and screaming, don't you?" I ask, standing in front of him.

He nods after a thought. "What do you have in mind?"

"The Careers, they have that supply pile, right?"

"Right."

I think back to the previous games where a tribute that wasn't a Career had won. Those years, the Careers supplies were somehow destroyed. "They're weaker without those supplies. What if we get rid of them somehow? Even if we don't make it out alive, it can help the others."

"What's your suggestion, then?" he asks.

I place my hands on my knees, bending to his height from where he sits. "We destroy it somehow…"

"But how? That's the only problem."

I nod, biting my lip. "I haven't got to that yet… Have you ever destroyed something?" I ask hopefully.

He smirks slightly at me. "No. You haven't either." He isn't even asking, he can tell I hadn't done anything like that.

"I'm that easy to read, huh?" I mutter, plopping onto the ground. He shrugs, folding his arms. I run a hand through my hair. "I think that I'm gonna go and inspect the pile in a few hours, when most people are asleep. You want to come?"

Thresh takes a minute to decide, then nods.

We sit for a while, and I begin to make a trap with my wire, before asking Thresh to throw it as far as possible in any direction. We both take a small nap and wake at around midnight if I have to guess the time, missing the nightly showing of the tributes. We move out of the field and towards the Careers camp. The supplies are still sitting innocently, and I can make out a few figures sprawled out, sleeping. Thresh takes a step in their direction, but I grab his arm.

"Don't," I whisper. "They're probably still in the light hours of sleep. If they wake up, we could die. We have to figure out how to destroy the pile first, okay?"

Thresh nods reluctantly, sighing. We stare at the pile for a while, my mind draws up blank for anything that would destroy it. "Any ideas?" I whisper.

"You're the Girl on Fire, you tell me," Thresh replies, frowning at the pile. They've re-camouflaged the trap Thresh walked into. I slip on the glasses, looking around. A lot of the supplies were actually flammable… Wait..

"That's it!" I hiss, jumping to my feet. How exactly do I ask for a gift? Do I even have sponsors? Does Thresh have any? There's only one way to find out.

"Um… I know this is a big ask, but we need matches, or a flint, or something that sparks. And we need it now," I say in a loud whisper, looking in all directions, making sure the cameras can make out what I'm talking about. "The Games are far more interesting with a little fire," I add, trying to joke with…well, nothing. Thresh gives me a confused look, before standing up next to me.

"Yeah. We need it," He agrees. I smile at him widely; he rolls his eyes at my reaction.

We stand for about five minutes before I grab Thresh's arm, excited. A small silver parachute is descending the night sky. I catch it and star at the small box of matches, smiling.

"Thank you," I whisper. I take the lead, avoiding the loose soil until we are standing in front of the pile. I wrap the parachute up and place it in my pack; I pluck a few apples and bandages from the supplies and put them in the pack as well. Then I turn to Thresh, handing him the matches.

"What are you doing?" He asks, surprised.

"I have to wake Peeta up. I can't let him get caught up in the fire. He saved my life," I explain. He sighs, waving me away. I sprint around the pile, slowing near the bodies. I halt, though. Something's wrong.

"Where are Peeta and Glimmer?" I ask myself, staring at the sleeping bags, one is empty.

I spin around, Thresh has lit the fire, and I can see it's going to burn quickly. He teeters back the way we had come and stares at me. Then I see a head of blonde hair behind some trees.

"Thresh!" I yell, sprinting towards him. An arrow shoots out of the trees, missing Thresh and hitting the supplies. Some fall to the ground, and the fire begins to rise. I run at Glimmer as she shakily pulls another arrow from the quiver. She shoots and I duck, the arrow smacks into my arm, embedding in my shoulder.

I hiss in pain as I run forward. She has to re load before she can hurt me again. I push the arrow through my arm, grunting, and pull it out. She stares at me in shock, and I lung at her, stabbing wildly with the arrow. We both fall to the ground, and the world is lost in a flurry of hands and arms and arrows as we try to get the upper hand. I finally roll her onto her back and shake the girl's shoulders violently, her head smacks repeatedly into the ground and I feel around with my hand until I find the quiver that she must have dropped. I bash her head in with the end, panting.

I roll off Glimmer when the cannon goes off. Thresh is at my side, helping me up. We run, pausing only to look back when something behind us explodes. It's something from the supply pile.

"Where's Lover Boy?" Thresh asks me as we jog through the thin coverage of trees, making our way back towards the field.

"He wasn't with the others, he must have left them," I say. I don't have the guts to say the alternative.

We stumble back into the field, collapsing in a heap at our little camp. I grin at Thresh, he grins back. He had gotten a little hurt from killing the boy from District three, who had appeared not long after I started fighting Glimmer, but he has no serious wounds. I let him wrap my shoulder with the bandages we stole and we settle down for the rest of the night.

"Hey, Thresh?" I mutter, staring at the sky.

"Yeah?" He whispers next to me. I snuggle under my sleeping bag, closing my eyes.

"I really hope Peeta isn't dead. I don't know what I'll do..." I mutter, holding onto my locket.

"Don't worry about it," Thresh says. "Get some rest."

"Right… Goodnight."

"Night."

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><p><em><strong>Yeah... Glimmer got pwned! <strong>_

_**I'm not too sure what else to say about this...**_

_**Should I change the rating to M?**_

**VampWolf92: Heehee!**

**An Echo In Time: Awh, thank you! I loved this review, you made me feel all warm and marshmello-y inside! I hope that I don't ruin your view of this story, and I plan to write all through to Mockingjay, if people still want to read it. Thank you very much, my dear!**

**SecondLineIsTheBomb: Thank you, dear! ^-^**

**_As always, read and review for the next chapter, lovelies!_**

**_-Shinigami_**


	12. Chapter 12

**I forgot to mention this last chapter but there is a very amazing person under the username SecondLineIsTheBomb who actually came up with the idea of Thresh teaming up with Alicia and Rue with Peeta. Methinks you should ALL SEND HER LOVE! She is amazing. THANK YOU BOMB-CHAN!**

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><p>I wake up before Thresh, and decide to let him rest some more. I locate the trap I made yesterday and find two rabbits in it. I make a small fire and cook the game on the coals. The smell wakes Thresh up, and I hand two large pieces and a leg to him. He stares at the food for a minute. "All of that for me?" He asks sleepily, as if he thinks he hasn't woken up yet and is dreaming.<p>

"Of course. We might as well eat both of them now, there's plenty more around. C'mon, take it," I wave the meat around a little. He takes it, trying not to scoff the whole thing down at once. I poke the coals a little, letting the rest of the meat cook.

"You have any plans?" He asks, licking his greasy fingers.

"I want to see if I can find Peeta."

"You know…he could be dead."

I shake my head. "He isn't. I don't know how I know, I just do. I don't want to give up on him… What about you? Your district partner is Rue, right? She's still alive. Do you want to look for her?"

He nods his head after a moment. "We grew up together," he says unexpectedly after a few minutes of silence.

"What?" I ask.

"Back home. I grew up with Rue. My sister and I were told to help her out when she started out in the harvest. Six years ago."

I look down. "I'm sorry you two had to be put together in this. It's horrible."

"Well, we're in it now. There's no going back."

I stand up, stretching my good arm. Get some rest. How about we leave in a few hours? At sundown?"

He nods, lying down on the sleeping bag.

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><p>Thresh re-wraps my shoulder and we eat the rest of the rabbit and some crackers before heading out. "Do you have any idea about where they might be?" Thresh asks as we leave the field. We sprint across to the forest edge.<p>

"Well, Haymitch, my mentor, told us to head for water. Peeta would probably try to find that first. What about Rue? Any idea how to find her?"

He shakes his head. "No. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't… Wait," his eyes light up slightly. He whistles. It's a simple four note melody. After a moment, the trees around us erupt with the same note being repeated.

I stare at Thresh, confused. "We use the mockingjays back home to send messages from the trees to the ground. Everyone that works there knows them."

"Mockingjays…" I mutter. We learnt about them once. They were hybrids of jabberjays and mockingbirds. Something never meant to exist.

I snap my head up in unison with Thresh when we hear another four-note tune sung by the birds. "Rue," Thresh breaths. We look at each other before breaking into a run. We run for what seems like forever, stopping every few minutes for Thresh to whistle. Eventually we come to a riverbank.

"They're around here somewhere," I mutter.

"Yeah."

We creep along the riverbank; Thresh watches the forest, I scan the water.

I still when there's a dry chuckle. "Here to finish me off, sweetheart?"

"Peeta?" I whisper.

We look around, before walking forward a little more. "Hey! Easy!" His voice exclaims. I glance at Thresh, who steps back. He's staring at the ground, and I glance down. His eyes appear in the mud and rocks, and my heart soars.

"Peeta!" I exclaim. His upper half pulls away, out of the mud. I drop to my knees, hugging him to me. I sob breathlessly into his shoulder with relief. He hugs me back as best as he could.

"Careful…" He mutters.

"What? You're hurt? Was it Cato?" I ask, digging out my water and helping him drink slowly from it. After he's hydrated, he nods.

"Upper left leg," he says.

I glance at Thresh, who is standing awkwardly next to me. "Can you help me get him into the stream? We need to clean this off him." Thresh nods, grabbing Peeta under his arms and lifting the boy out of the mud. He slowly helps him over to the shallow part of the stream, setting him down gently as possible. I kneel next to him, stripping off his jacket and shirt. I rub off as much of the mud from his shirt as possible and then use it to wipe the camouflage from his face and arms.

I start laughing as I clean him. He looks at me weakly, an eyebrow raised. "What's so funny?" He asks.

"You told me before we went into the Games you want to die as yourself, and I find you half-dead pretending to be a rock," I say, breaking into hysterical giggle-snorts. Peeta breaks into a huge smile, brushing some hair back from my face.

"Where's Rue?" Thresh speaks up. We glance at him. He's standing sort of awkwardly, as if he doesn't want to intrude on us. "We heard her whistling. That's how we got here. Where is she?"

"She went to go look for some more supplies," Peeta informed him as Thresh helped drag him out of the water. "She's a good kid; kept me alive pretty well without medicine or anything."

I look at Thresh. "If she isn't back by the time I'm done with Peeta, we'll go look for her, okay? I don't want you going by yourself."

He nods. "I'll keep an eye on the forest," he says, walking away. I pull off Peeta's shoes and socks then help him with his pants, inspecting the wound. I wince. It's deep, and from the looks of it, slightly infected.

"That bad?" he asks.

"You'll be fine," I reply, turning back to the wound. It makes me feel sick just looking at it, but Peeta needs me.

"Rue put these leave on it a while ago. To draw out the infection. There's some more in my jacket pocket," he says. I nod, crawling over to where I left his drying clothes. I recover the leaves and crawl back, placing the leaves on his gash. A small amount of pus runs down his thigh, I make a face but keep quiet.

I take out a roll of bandages and wrap his leg, then help him back into his clothes. Thresh helps Peeta to his feet and carries him down the riverbank. I direct them into a small, well hidden cave in the assortment of rocks. Thresh lies Peeta down on my sleeping bag and turns to me.

"She isn't back," he says.

"I know," I mumble, typing my knife pouch around my hips. I turn to Peeta. "We'll be back soon. Okay?"

He nods, and I start to get to my feet when he pulls me back down. Peeta holds my face, kissing me softly. I rest my forehead against his. "Be safe," he whispers. I peck his cheek and nod, getting up. Thresh leads me out of the cave, and we walk back down the riverbank.

Thresh looks at me, grinning. "So it is true, then?" he says. I roll my eyes bashfully and shove him. He laughs, shaking his head. We walk in amused silence for a while, following the whistles of Rue and Thresh. Until…

"THRESH! HELP ME!"

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><p><strong>Hmmm…<strong>

**Kind of short, I know! Sorry! I had a really hard time thinking about this chapter**

**Reviews!**

_**VampWolf92: Nawh thank you!**_

_**SecondLineIsTheBomb: OMG HNG IM SO SORRY I FORGOT THE CREDIT! I WAS IN SUCH A RUSH TO GET THE CHAPTER UP I FORGOT! FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEEEE**_

_**SilentStorm1999: Oh, good, thank you!**_

_**Chifuyuu: You have no problem with it?* Mode Activated* Excelleeent :3**_

_**And Echo In Time: WHEEEEEEE! Yay! I hope that I don't ever ruin him for you!**_

_**ariah23: Thank you!**_

_**BreeBree12345: I love you. :P**_

**You know the drill. Stay groovy!**

**-Shinigami**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Yoo-hoo!_**

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><p>"THRESH! HELP ME!"<p>

We look at each other for a moment, the sound of the young girl's panicked voice echoing around us, before we break into a sprint.

"Rue! Rue!" Thresh hollers, not caring who hears us. I slow down slightly, exhausted. Thresh shoots past me, not caring.

"Thresh, be careful!" I yell, trying to catch up with him. We break through the trees to a clearing. She's caught in a net. Thresh is about to start running to her when I pull him back. She is able to call out once more to him before the spear hits her.

The district one boy, who somehow hasn't noticed we're here, runs towards her body to retrieve his spear. I dash forward, taking out a knife. He's turning around when I jump onto him, sinking the knife into his neck. We hit the ground, the spear clattering next to me. Thresh is by Rue's side, the net finally pulled away from the gasping girl. The cannon fires.

"Are there more?" I ask Rue, running over to her other side. She shakes her head feebly.

Thresh is collapsed next to her, holding her hand and stroking her hair brotherly. My eyes fill with tears as I stroke the girls cheek. She looks at me. "I took care of him. I took care of Peeta for you," she says. Her voice is barely over a whisper.

"I know. I know you did, Rue. Thank you so much, Rue," I reply shakily, smiling at her.

"Will you take care of Thresh for me?" she asks. I look at Thresh, who hasn't looked away from Rue since he sat down.

"I will. I promise," I whisper. She mouths 'thank you', and I smile weakly at her. She and Thresh have a whispered last conversation, and I don't want to intrude. I crawl over to a nearby clump of different wildflowers, pulling them out with my good arm. Not taking care of my shoulder and ribs has taken a toll, as the adrenaline leaves my body weak. I crawl back as Thresh holds Rue. The light slowly leaves her eyes as I place the flowers in her hands, placing them on her stomach. I close her eye lids slowly, sniffing. The flowers cover up her wound, so she looks peaceful enough to be simply sleeping. But we know better. The cannon fires.

"Goodbye, Rue," I whisper. At my words, Thresh lets out a heartbreaking howl. He stands up and kicks the District 1 boy's body hatefully. He punches a tree repeatedly and finally collapses on the ground. I come next to him, hugging him tightly to my chest. For the first time, the boy much larger than me feels like a small child in my arms. He reminds me of when I would comfort Jace or Taylon in the middle of the night after a nightmare.

We sit, rocking slightly, sobbing together, for a very long time. I hum soothingly – I've never had a very nice singing voice, but I can hum, at least – and rub circles into his back. Thresh's tough armour has broken, for a little while, at least. I realize that even he is just a child. We're all just children in the worst situation imaginable. Even if I leave the Games, I'll be plagued by Rue and all the people I've killed. They'll never leave me. I don't want to be alone with those memories. I'm lucky enough to have Peeta still alive, but Thresh has lost Rue. His friend. His sister.

* * *

><p>We eventually pull ourselves together, and Thresh helps me to my feet. He isn't alright, but we have to get back to Peeta. I dry my eyes and wipe my nose on my sleeve before picking up the boy's spear. I clean it off on his jacket, unable to carry something with Rue's blood still on it. I cut Rue's pack off her back and retrieve the boy's as well. We begin to walk away, but Thresh stops.<p>

He presses three of his middle fingers of his left hand to his lips, and I copy him. We lift our hands into the air, in Rue's direction. It's an old gesture from the outlining districts, particularly mine. It's used mostly at funerals of important people. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means good-bye to someone you love.

We walk away as a hovercraft silences the birds around us, picking up the bodies. I lead Thresh through the forest by the hand. He's in a daze, walking like a lost child. We find the river after an hour, and Peeta shortly after that.

"Alicia!" Peeta says, sitting up as we walk in. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asks , I dump our new possessions and my knives and sit next to him, curling into his side.

"Rue's dead," I tell him. He stiffens, in surprise and sorrow. "The boy from district one killed him. I got him, though." I mumble. Peeta hugs me, being careful of my shoulder, and I feel the tears start again. Peeta rubs my back like I did for Thresh as I sob soundlessly into his chest.

* * *

><p>I wake feeling groggy and sore. I must have cried myself to sleep, because I'm still propped against Peeta, who is asleep as well. I touch his forehead, and find he's boiling hot.<p>

"Is he okay?" Thresh asks, sitting against the other cave wall. I shake my head.

"He's running a fever," I reply. I grab the packs and empty them on the ground. Rue's pack has an empty water skin, an extra pair of socks, and a slingshot. The boy's pack had more knives, two spare spearheads, a flashlight, a small leather pouch, a first-aid kit, a full bottle of water and a pack of dried fruit. I go through the first-aid kit, and find some pills that say they reduce temperature. I crawl over to Peeta, shaking him softly.

He blinks sleepily, looking at me. I help him sit up. "Peeta, can you please swallow these?" I ask, holding out the two pills. He nods hesitantly. He moistens his mouth with the water, then swallows the tables with difficulty. I make him nibble two dried pears before leaving him to sip the rest of the water. "Your temperature is sky-high," I comment. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," he replies. I sigh, kissing his burning forehead.

We sit quietly, and I check his temperature every twenty minutes, but it doesn't improve. I worriedly give him more pills, toying with my nails as I make him eat the last of my beef strips. I give Thresh the crackers, before ducking out with the wire trap to set it.

After I set the trap, I begin to head back when I spot a parachute, and gasp. I walk over and undo the tie. I hope for medicine, but find broth and bread. I carry it back in, beaming. "Lookie!" I say giddily. "Look what we've been sent!"

Thresh comes over and we sit in a small circle. I feed Peeta the broth slowly, rubbing his arm encouragingly, and split the bread between us evenly as Thresh has his share of broth. I give Peeta more of my share and finish the pot, nibbling on the bread.

"This is District Eleven bread," Peeta comments. Thresh nods. I blink, surprised. The grains on top, of course!

I smile widely at the thought. District Eleven must have send bread for Thresh. He grins slightly back at me.

"I'm going to go check the trap," he announces, standing up when he finishes his bread. I'm left alone with Peeta.

"Alicia…" he says. I turn to him, checking his temperature. It's only improved slightly from the food and pills. He needs real medicine. "Alicia, look. I know I'm not an expert, but I know I'm in bad shape. I just… Look, if I end up-"

"No, Peeta," I cut him off. "No. You aren't dying. I won't let you. I'll get you medicine, somehow. You won't die."

"But say that I do," he starts again.

"Then I won't leave this arena. Not really," I reply. "I might survive the Games, but I won't be alive again. Peeta, I need you to stay alive," I say, staring into his eyes. He stares back, looking pained. The look kills me. I duck down, pressing my lips to his. His hands touch my cheeks, my arms, my back. My own hands fall from his hair to his shoulders and rest on his chest. I've pressed against Peeta, as if trying to mould myself to him. I don't to ever be away from Peeta, to be out of reach. If I do, I feel like I will lose him permanently. We stay in a tight embrace, trailing kisses along each other's faces desperately. And I know.

I can't lose Peeta. If I do, I will lose myself.

* * *

><p><strong>I have a super duper important question for you guys. Should Alicia be the Mockingjay? Or should she be some other symbol of rebellion? If something else, why should she be that? I'd really like your opinions, and I'll probably post a poll of different ideas as they come to me.<strong>

**_ChinaDang: Oh heeeeellll no *does a terrible finger snap thingy* Come at me sister! Haha, sorry, I can't be 'hip'! I'm far to dorky for that! But you scared a new chapter out of me! Congratulations!_**

_****_**Adios, Amigos!**

**-Shinigami**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Ello, ello!**_

* * *

><p>"So, who do we have left?" I ask, drawing up a table in the dirt beneath me.<p>

I added our names first. "Cato and Clove form District Two, they're still alive," Peeta, who is lying next to me, puts in. I draw their names into the dust.

"The girl from Five. I haven't seen her since the bloodbath," Thresh says, playing with a twig.

"…That's all."

I lay back against Peeta's chest, his arm drapes over my shoulders instinctively. I trace circles on his stomach lazily as I stare up at the cave ceiling. "So what do we do?" Thresh asks after a minute.

"What can we do?" Peeta asks.

"Nothing. Not with you being injured," I speak up. "We need to get you some medicine, some strong medicine."

Thresh glances at me. "Should we ask again?"

I shake my head at him, running a hand through my hair. Peeta twirls a lock of it between his fingers, watching me intently. "We've already asked once, I don't think it will work again. And pooling resources and money for a box of matches is one thing; medicine for a dying boy is on a completely new level."

"Right," Thresh agreed.

"_Attention tributes. I'd first like to congratulate you on become the remaining six still in the competition_." My head snaps up, looking around. Claudius Templesmith's voice echoes through the cave. "_There has been a slight rule change. Under this new rule, both tributes from the same district may be declared winners if they are the last two alive."_ Claudius pauses, and then repeats the rule change for us. We sit in silence for a moment, the news sinking in. If they're from the same district, two tributes will be victors.

I turn to Peeta, his eyes are alight. "Peeta! We're still in the running, we can go home!" I say excitedly. He nods, bubbling with his own newfound hope. We hug each other tightly, but I look up when I hear shuffles from the other side of the cave.

"I'll…go check the trap," Thresh says, ducking out of the cave. My excitement drains out of me at his tone. It's lonely. We're here revelling in this new rule while he's mourning the loss of his friend. I suddenly feel terrible about my reaction. Peeta touches my cheek, drawing my attention back to him.

"We can go home, Alicia. You can go back to the boys," He whispers, holding me close.

"Yeah, if we survive…" I mumble. I sit up, testing Peeta's forehead with the back of my hand. "You're going nowhere fast with that medicine I gave you."

"Don't worry about me so much," He requests, taking my hand away from his face.

I pout a little, batting his hands away and continuing to evaluate his condition. It doesn't look very good. "How's your leg?" I ask.

"Nothing you need to worry about," He replies simply. I can see his strain when he moves, making me groan. "Alicia, I said don't worry."

"Peeta! That wound is bad enough already, you could die if we don't get medicine for it. The infection will ruin your blood and you'll die." I drop back down next to him, sighing. "I can't have that happen…"

His hand touches my cheek, turning my face to him. "I won't die on you," he promises. He kisses my forehead, cuddling me into his side.

I sigh, holding out more of the fever medicine for him. He washes it down and I settle him into the sleeping bag. His tired eyes drift shut relatively quickly, and I kiss his cheek before stepping out of the cave. Thresh is throwing pebbles into the river, two dead rabbits are by his feet. I wrap my arms around myself, wincing when my shoulder protests. The caked blood around the wound makes my skin feel tight under the bandages.

Thresh looks up as I approach him, his mouth is set in a firm line but his eyes look sad. "S-Sorry," I mumbled, standing next to the larger boy as he threw another pebble, it skidded across the water then fell to the bottom of the river.

He glances at me; his face is covered with sweat. "For what?"

"…For being so ignorant…" I mumble.

Thresh hums slightly, not replying to me. We stand, looking at the water for a minute. I realize how much the temperature has dropped a lot. I pull my jacket tighter, and turn to Thresh. He's still sweating.

"Thresh..?" He turns to me, swallowing hard. I touch his forehead like I do with Peeta. His temperature is running as well. "You're sick as well? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's nothing."

I inspect him, looking for what made him sick. He scowls, shrugging his jacket off and pointing to his back. I walk around, pulling his shirt up and exposing his dark, broad back. There is a wound trailing from his left shoulder blade to his right hip. It has stopped bleeding long before now, but what is wrong was that the skin around it is discoloured and raw. "How long have you had this?"

"Since we met. I scraped it when I fell in the trap. It only got infected the other day."

"Thresh, you should have told me," I scold him. He tugs his shirt down, shrugging. "Your life could become endangered if we don't get some medicine for you."

"Well nobody is sending us any, are they? Not for me, not for lover boy, it's a miracle your shoulder hasn't gotten infected yet."

"We'll figure something out! I'm not letting either of you die because of some stupid wound infection. I won't let that happen!"

Thresh frowns down at me, and I frown back up at him stubbornly, my arms folded over my chest. He sighs after a minute of trying to stare me down. "Fine. How are we gonna get medicine for us then?"

As if on cue, I hear trumpets, then Claudius Templesmith's voice surrounds us. He's inviting us to a feast. Thresh rolls his eyes, starting to zone out of the announcement. I grab his arm as Claudius continues. "Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary feast. Each of you needs something desperately."

"It's medicine. It's medicine for you and Peeta!" I exclaim.

"Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance."

There isn't anything else from my best friend, Claudius. It's only sunset now. I turn to Thresh. "We're going to go get it. If you're up for it."

"What will you tell lover boy?" He asks.

I shrug. "We need the medicine. He'll get over it. Get ready to leave soon." He nods, and settles down to begin skinning the rabbits. We discovered Thresh was much better at it than me a day or so ago. I walk back into the cave, looking at Peeta. His mouth is already forming protests when I sit next to him, shaking my head. "Peeta, don't start. We both know you need the medicine."

"I can follow you there. At least partway. I may not make it to the Cornucopia, but if I'm yelling your name, I bet someone can find me. And then I'll be dead for sure."

I look at the ground. "You don't have to do that. Thresh and I can protect ourselves. Anyways, you can't go more than ten yards on that leg. It'll hurt too much."

"Then I'll drag myself!"

I groan, holding Peeta's face in my hands. "Peeta, please! I promise I won't get hurt! Just stay here and keep yourself safe, please!"

We drop the conversation for the next few hours, just lying together and playing with our interlocked fingers.

* * *

><p>I give him a double dose of the fever medicine, after the dinner Thresh returns with. I give the last of the medicine to Thresh as Peeta falls asleep. He seems to be under a fair amount because of the dosage. I grab my knives and spear, clipping them onto my belt. Thresh breaks off a large branch and cleans it up a bit to use as a club. We quickly camouflage the entrance to the cave before heading out.<p>

"What do you suggest we do?" He asks as we trek through the forest. It's already early morning, and dawn is fast approaching.

"Well, nobody knows that we're allies. Maybe if we slip up, take turns grabbing our packs. If one gets in trouble, the other comes out of hiding. It's better if they think we're both alone."

He nods. We decide to split up and meet back at a tree I tie my sleeve around, leaving both my arms bare. He takes a track leading him around near the other side of the Cornucopia as I hide up in a tree, watching the sun as it begins to rise. It's chilly, but I keep wriggling my fingers and toes to keep my body awake.

The arena had lightened enough to make out everything fairly well. The birds have begun singing, but there isn't any feast that I can see. Claudius specified it would be here. Where is it?

The first rays of sunlight hit the gold Cornucopia, and then there's a disturbance in the ground. I hop down from the tree as the ground shifts, a large round table with a white cloth rises. There's a large bag with 2 on it, a medium sized green one with 5 on it. 11 and 12's are both small, his is black and mine is orange.

The table has just clicked into place when someone darts out of the shadows of the Cornucopia. It's the red head from District 5! She snags her bag and darts off. Hiding in the Cornucopia? That was… smart. I never thought of that… By the time I've hit the edge of the trees, she is gone. I begin to sprint towards my pack. I can't have the Careers taking the medicine.

I sense the danger looming before anything. I instinctively duck my head, and a knife goes flying past me, cutting the edges of my hair slightly before sinking to the ground a few feet in front of me. I continue to run, but spare a glance backwards. It's Clove. I swipe up the knife she threw at me, turning and throwing it back. She moves slightly, avoiding any lethal hits. The knife sinks into her leg. I turn and run faster, the table is almost within my reach. She throws another and it catches my leg, I hit the ground and slide under the tablecloth. I stand up, looking around. She dives across the table, taking me to the ground with her. We wrestle, but my body is much smaller and weaker than hers. She grins down manically as she pins me down by my shoulders. I bite back a scream as her knee presses down on my shoulder wound. I can feel the tissue tearing and opening again.

"Where's Lover Boy, Twelve? Still alive?" She taunts.

I don't reply, I just continue to struggle wildly. It's a bad decision, as my shoulder burns more and more with the stress. My hand slowly worms towards my knife pouch. "Don't talk about him," I say, trying to stall her as I reach for my knives.

"What's in your little backpack, Twelve? Lover Boy's medicine?" She reaches into her jacket, bringing out a new knife. "I promised Cato if he let me kill you, I'll give the audience a good show."

My fingers hooked around the edge of my knife, and I carefully began sliding it out of its holder as she laughed at me. I threw it, stabbing wildly with the small amount to arm space to try and hit her. She slams be back into the ground, wincing. "Stop that!" She yelled, raising her arm to stab my neck. Suddenly, a hand grabs her arm, pulling her off me. I look up at Thresh as he glares down at Clove. "Cato!"

"You're gonna do what?" He growls, shaking her.

"Cato!" She shrieks. "Cato! Help!"

Thresh beats Clove over the head with his tree-club. She hits the ground, the cannon goes off. I crawl over, opening her jacket and finding more knives. I take them all, and Thresh helps me up. "Let's go," he breathes. I nod, clutching my shoulder as we snatch up our bags and run to the safety of the trees.

We walk in silence back to the cave, collapsing in a heap when we enter. I crawl to Peeta, taking out the bag. I cut open the clasp, and dump the contents on the ground. There's one slim box containing one hypodermic needle. I jam the needle into Peeta's arm and press the plunger.

Thresh sits next to me and I help him with his needle, then he cleans and wraps my shoulder. We settle down on the ground, intent on catching up on some sleep as the rain began outside. "Thresh?" I whisper.

"Yeah?" He replies.

"Thank you for saving me."

He stays quiet for a moment before smiling slightly at me. "I guess we're even now."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry about the wait, loves. I've been having MAJOR writer's block these days. Anyways… How are you?<strong>_

_**Reviewers are lovely!**_

**Grapejuice101: I know, so did I! I'm just gonna go be sad now TT_TT thank you for the review dear!**

**BreeBree12345: D'aaw, you think so? Thank you, darling!**

**VampWolf92: You're sweet.**

_**Adios!**_

_**-Shinigami**_


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm sosososososo sorry for the wait, and I know it's kind of short, but I should have a new chapter up in a few days!**

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><p>"Alicia? Alicia are you awake?"<p>

My eyelids flicker open, responding to my name being called and the warm hand that's stroking my cheek. I slowly raise my head, shivering at the coolness the rain brought to the cave. A smile slowly spreads on my face as I look up at Peeta sitting next to me. He looks so much better already.

"You're better," I whisper happily.

He smiles down at me, pulling me in against his chest. He's warm, compared to my pale body. "Yeah. Whatever you gave me helped. My leg has already started to get better."

I check his wound, it definitely has improved, and the swelling has gone down. Thresh walks over to us, standing over us. Peeta nods up at him and Thresh bends over me, scooping me off the ground. I wince at the sudden movement, my ribs and shoulder protest at the hand wrapped around them. He apologizes softly, placing me down on the sleeping bag next to a small fire the boys have got going.

"You need to stay warm," Thresh mutters, sitting down across from me, "you're ice cold."

"Have you guys eaten yet?" I ask them, warming my hands by the flames. "Do you need me to go pick some-,"

Peeta shakes his head, cutting me off. "Alicia, we're fine."

"I think I'll need to re-set the traps soon, they might cut off the wildlife soon, so that we have to either end the games or die of starvation…"

"Alicia, will you please settle down?" Peeta sighs. "We can take care of all of that."

I sigh heavily, staring into the fire. "Do you think it will be too much to hope Cato and Five kill each other? She's smart, and quick…"

Peeta sits down behind me, pulling me back against his chest. I burrow into his jacket, my icy fingers entwining with his own. Thresh sits down across from us, poking at the fire with one of my knives. "I think we should finish the food, then go looking for Cato," I say suddenly.

"You want to _look_ for him?" Peeta looks down at me unsurely.

"Yeah, he'll probably be someone near the Cornucopia, somewhere he knows well. We've got a better chance killing him than trying to track down Five. We can find more food on the way."

The boys sit in silence for a few moments, deliberating my suggestion. "Alright, we'll leave after eating," Thresh agrees. Peeta nods his head, leaning it on my shoulder as Thresh fetches the remaining food.

We eat the rest of our food stocks in silence, the solemn thought that this is the last meal we will probably ever have hanging over our heads. Soon, we've packed our things and Thresh is helping Peeta, whose leg still isn't completely healed, out of the case and into the forest. Our group stops maybe a few hundred yards away from the clearing near the Cornucopia, Thresh goes in one direction, to hunt. Peeta goes in another to gather berries and roots, and I take to climbing as high as I can in a tree- which isn't very high at all, the pain in my shoulder not letting me go up more than a few branches- and making traps.

The two are gone for half an hour before something catches my eye. Passing between bushes not too far from me is a dash of red hair. I freeze, going to pull out a knife, but she's already gone from my sight.

A moment later the sound of the cannon firing fills the silence. I panic, my mind registering the direction the girl was coming from was the same direction that Peeta had gone in. I tumble out of the tree, landing awkwardly, but continue to scramble through the growth, screaming Peeta's name.

He collides into me, and I fall to the ground from the impact. "Alicia, calm down!" He says, helping me to my feet.

"I heard the cannon, and I saw the girl from Five… I thought you were dead!" I cry, clutching at his shirt. Peeta sighs heavily, pulling me against his chest and hugging me close.

We stand quietly while I pull myself back together, and a few moments later Thresh is charging through the bushes in our direction. "What happened?" He asks.

"Nothing, we're fine, but someone isn't," Peeta replies.

Thresh doesn't say anything for a moment, making me turn to him. "Thresh? You okay?" I ask. He's staring at Peeta, ignoring me. "…Thresh?"

"What are you doing with those?" He asks, coming over and grabbing Peeta's wrist, holding up his closed hand. He opens Peeta's hands, inspecting the berries he is holding. "Have you eaten any?"

Peeta shakes his head. "No? I was collecting them just then…"

"Throw them away right now," he instructs, brushing the berries onto the ground and stamping of them.

"What did you do that for? We could have eaten them!"

"It's Nightlock. A poison," Thresh explains, frowning as he looks between us. "How much of this did you pick?"

Peeta shrugs, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know, I was picking them and putting them in a pile before I went looking for some roots. I just scooped this much up before I heard Alicia yelling."

"How do you know about Nightlock?" I ask.

Thresh looks away from me. "Rue told me about some common poisons. Before all of this."

"Oh.." I mutter, biting my lip.

Peeta rescues the conversation, touching my arm. "If it wasn't any of us, than who is it that just died?"

I look towards the sky, watching the clouds begin to gather. "Whoever it was doesn't matter right now. There's one opponent left, which means they're probably going to try and make us run into each other."

"So where do we go?" Peeta asks.

"Cornucopia," Thresh suggests. "We know that place, and we can see every direction whoever is left might come from."

I nod. "Sounds good."

We trudge towards the clearing, stopping when the forest birds stop singing suddenly. I catch a glint of red hair from the body being pulled out of the woods not far from us by a hovercraft. "So it was the girl from Five…" I mutter.

"Cato will be close, then," Peeta guessed.

"Maybe, maybe not," Thresh replies, continuing to walk. Peeta and I exchange confused looks, and he turns around to explain. "She was the best at hiding. See where she was picked up? The best bet is that Peeta killed her."

Peeta looks even more confused than before, and a little disturbed by the thought. I look down at the stains on his hands from where he had been picking berries. "The Nightlock… You had it in a pile…" I whispered.

He looks horrified. I take a hold of his hand, lacing our fingers together in a desperate attempt to comfort him as we begin moving again. While we walk, we eat the few berries deemed edible by Thresh, and try to avoid the conversation on everyone's mind.

If we kill Cato, we will have to also kill Thresh to go home.

The thought makes me sick to my stomach, Thresh has been my soul protector in the Games, never once has he even made a move that could hurt me in any way. He lost the one person in the Games that he knew, and yet he never complained about how Peeta and I seemed to disregard him and celebrate the chance to go home together.

Either we die or he does. I'm not fond of either of those options.

* * *

><p>Two days pass and we spend our time camping just behind the line of trees separating the clearing from the forest. "How long do you think we have left?" Peeta asks as the sun begins to set over the horizon.<p>

"Not long. They want a show," Thresh replies, poking at the coals of our diminishing fire. We're all too lost in thought to be bothered replenishing it.

As if on cue, the world around us goes almost completely dark. "I guess you're right," I whisper shakily. Thresh is on his feet in a second, I can barely make out his outline peering into the forest, as if Cato will appear. "Time to go," he announces.

"What?" I ask, he pulls me to my feet.

"Go! Now!"

Peeta and I stagger out of the woods, Thresh following after us. "Why are we running?" Peeta asks, stumbling along next to me. He's a bit slower than usual, because his leg isn't completely healed.

"More importantly, _where_ are we running?" I huff.

"The Cornucopia. It's high up!" Thresh yells.

For a brief moment I wonder what it is we are running from, but my question is answered when I spot Cato sprinting out of the thicket on the opposite side of the clearing from us, running towards the same general point. Behind him are three large, deformed looking dogs.

"Mutts!" I scream.

* * *

><p><strong>See y'all in a few days! Hopefully...<strong>

**-Shinigami**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ermagerd! Another update!(:**

* * *

><p>Muttations; the Gamemakers like to bring them out for the finale every once in a while. They're always different, and they're always terrifying.<p>

The chosen mutts this year look somewhat like huge wolves, only they seem to rise up onto their hind legs and stand with ease. I spin around, looking behind me to find several more mutts of different colours and sizes focusing on us. I shake myself enough to continue sprinting towards the Cornucopia. Peeta has already reached the side, and Thresh is helping him to climb up through the ridges. He reaches the top and Thresh turns to me, I wave for him to go up and he nods, slowly climbing up. He isn't as quick at climbing as I am, so I try to give him some spare time by stopping and turning back to the mutts.

I pull out as many knives as I can spare, throwing them at the advancing mutts. I hit two of them, but they continue forward, unfazed.

"Alicia, hurry!" Peeta shouts. I turn and run blindly, scampering up the side of the Cornucopia. Thresh lifts me up, setting me down softly as possible. We all pause to try and regain our breath, before realizing that Cato is also occupying the roof. He's doubled over, heaving short breaths and clutching his stomach and he peers over the edge. For a moment, I abandon the fact that we're enemies and edge towards him, looking over the side with him. "They're assembling," I comment to the others.

"Can they climb it?" Cato asks.

I watch as a few of the mutts test out the Cornucopia, scratching at the metal. They seem to communicate because after a few moments they all move backwards. A mutt with blond fur strides forward, leaping up at the horn. It's only about ten feet from us. I take out a knife in case, and it's eyes lock on mine. They're human. "Oh my god," I whisper. "They're tributes."

And then I'm screaming. Because oh my god those are Glimmer's _exact_ eyes. And then I'm screaming for a new reason, I'm being pushed.

Peeta and Thresh are yelling, I can hear them roaring things over the sound of growling mutts beneath me. I twist my head to see Cato holding me by the knees, dangling me over the edge carelessly. "You attack me and she dies!" Cato screams. He sounds completely unhinged and I'm suddenly terrified at the thought of what he'll do.

"Just attack him!" I yell, swiping my knife at a large mutt that is too close for comfort.

"You'll die!" Peeta replies. I grunt, my eyes blurring with tears. Being held upside down is beginning to make me feel lightheaded. I grab at the horn, looking for something to pull myself up with.

"Let her go, Cato," Thresh yells. Cato's reply is nothing more than a laugh. I'm lucky enough to find a reasonable place in the metal and sink my knife into it, holding on tightly.

And then he drops me.

I scream, latching onto the knife as tightly as possible, curling my legs up to my chest as the mutts begin to leap at me, teeth snapping at my clothing. Cato rushes away from the ledge and I hear the three moving around, yelling.

Holding on with all my life, I faintly feel the tears in my eyes spill over, falling down my cheeks. "Come on, Alicia," I whisper to myself. "Come on, they need you."

My legs drop slightly and a mutt snaps at my legs, ripping the leg of my pants. I kick at it, turning my attention back to the edge of the horn. I slowly clamber up, using all of my strength to haul myself up onto the lip of the horn. Gasping, I reach out, trying to pull myself up the rest of the way. Thresh rushes to my aid, pulling me up. I heave a sigh of relief, but it's short lived as Cato grabs Peeta, holding his arms behind his back and moving towards another edge. This boy seems to have a thing for dangling people in front of man-eating mutts.

Thresh rests a hand on my arm. "You two are going to go home," He whispers. I glance up at him, sniffling and confused. "You've earned it."

"Thresh? What..?"

He smiles down at me for a second, before his face hardens and he turns to where Cato and Peeta are struggling against each other. And before anything can even leave my mouth, Thresh is charging at them. "Thresh!" I yell. He ploughs into the two, ripping Peeta from Cato's grasp and pulling him aside. Thresh and Cato collide, stumbling together towards the side of the Cornucopia. I yell for Thresh again as they hit the side and fall out of my sight.

I run forward, Peeta grabs me, holding me back from the edge as I scream for Thresh. The two are holding on desperately to the cracks in the horn, trying to find a grip. Cato finds a small ledge for his hand and holds on, yelling curses. Thresh spares a last glance up at us before jumping onto Cato, dragging him down with all his weight. Cato claws at the metal of the Cornucopia, but it's useless, and they both plummet towards the ground.

And then come the screams.

I struggle in Peeta's arms, freely sobbing at the sound of the snarling mutts attacking the two below us. I can't tell if I'm screaming with them or not. Peeta won't let me look, he holds my face against his shoulder, away from the ground, but he can't stop the screaming. It rings through my head, and I know that I'm going to be haunted by it for a long time.

We huddle together, trying to distract each other from the screams, but it doesn't work. I cry into Peeta's shoulder as the cannon goes off once. The anthem plays as I see Cato's face in the sky. My stomach drops, the mutts howl before stalking off into the trees as a group.

"Thresh is down there," I whisper, unfolding myself from Peeta and moving to the edge and beginning to descend.

"Alicia, don't…" Peeta calls.

I ignore his pleading voice, hitting the ground on shaky feet. I stumble, nearly toppling over myself more than once as I walk over to the mouth of the horn where I see two bodies. Cato isn't moving, and is mauled almost beyond recognition. Near him is Thresh, I fall to my feet next to the equally injured boy. "Thresh…" I whimper.

One of his eyes is swollen shut, but the other reels around, searching for me. "A…Alicia…" He chokes out. I take his hand, sniffling loudly.

"It's me, Thresh, I'm here. You saved us."

He tries to lift his head but gives up with a wince. "Alicia… please.."

"What is it? What do you need, Thresh?" I ask, fearing what it is he will say.

He then confirms my greatest dread. "Alicia… kill me."

"No. No, Thresh, I can't do that," I protest, shaking my head vigorously. "Please don't make me do that. Don't ask that."

He turns his head, I can see the soil beneath him drenched with blood. "I'm dead anyway."

A sob rips through my throat, and I fall onto his chest, crying my heart out. His hand manages to rest on my back for a few minutes until I seem to have run out of tears. "Please." He repeats.

I gather myself together, wiping my face with my shirt, before pulling out a knife. "I'm so sorry, Thresh…" I whisper.

He looks me in the eyes, and nods at me. I take his hand in mine, and using my free hand, I sink the knife into his chest.

The air rushes out of him, and he convulses for a moment, before his hand falls slack out of my grasp. The cannon goes off.

I breath a long, exhausted sigh, backing away from Thresh and Cato's bodies. I continue to back up until I'm almost at the forest edge. The hovercraft appears, lifting the two bodies into the air. Peeta joins me in looking up at the sky, waiting for trumpets and our own hovercraft to descend.

It doesn't come.

"What's going on? Why aren't we getting collected?" I ask Peeta.

"I don't know," He replies, I take a few steps forward, looking around expectantly.

We are greeted by Claudius Templesmith's voice. "Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," I can almost hear a smile in his voice. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."

* * *

><p>I continue to step forward, looking for an answer that I already know. They never intended on letting us both live. We're both screwed.<p>

I hear Peeta advancing, and instinct kicks in. I spin around, pulling out a knife and holding it near his throat. Peeta stares at me in shock. "Alicia..?"

Horror floods over me, and I sink to the ground, dropping the knife. "Oh my god. I'm a monster."

Peeta is crouching next to me in an instant. "Alicia, you aren't a monster, come on, you can do it."

I shake my head, staring back at him. "I won't kill you, Peeta. I can't."

"Alicia, they have to have a victor, you know that. They need one."

My mind rakes for some sort of sane thought to hold on to, but all I can think to do is to get to my knife and end my life before Peeta comes up with any ideas on how to kill himself. "What if they don't get one?" I ask.

He stares at me, ideas seem to be running through his head. He leans close, kissing me fiercely. "You brilliant girl," he whispers. "If they don't have a victor, it's their heads."

It takes a moment to process what he's telling me, but it finally clicks. "How are we going to do it?" I whisper back. He thinks for a moment before stand up, I follow suit. He takes my hand and we both jog into the forest, running for a few minutes until we can hear the noises of the stream. Peeta looks around for a minute before spotting what he wants.

A bush of Nightlock. It's funny how something so innocent looking could make or break us.

Peeta picks a few for each of us and we sit together by the stream. "Are you sure about this?" Peeta asks me, pulling me into his lap.

"Nope," I reply. "But it's all we can do. Ready?"

He nods, holding his hand open for the cameras to see, I do the same. "One," he starts.

"Two." I grab hold of Peeta's free hand, squeezing tightly.

"Three."

We are lifting the berries to our lips when Claudius' voice is filling the arena again. "Stop! Stop!" We throw the berries into the stream, looking at each other with surprise as the trumpets begin to blare around us. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark and Alicia Fairbaine- the tributes of District Twelve!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Internet cookies for reviewers ! Thank you for reading(:<strong>_

**-Shinigami**


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